Download Protein Synthesis Bead Activity

Biology
Name:
Protein Synthesis Bead Activity
Let’s make proteins! Fill in the paragraph below and then follow the instructions to make a beaded protein.
________ is copied down as a form of RNA called ___________. This process is called
__________________________________ and it occurs in the ______________________ of cells. mRNA
leaves the nucleus to find a _______________. Next, we start the second part of protein synthesis called
_____________________________ and it happens in the _____________________ of cells. During this
process, the ribosome attaches to the strand of mRNA and reads three bases at a time. These three bases on the
mRNA strand are called a ______________. A codon codes for one ____________________. We need these
monomers because we are making _____________________. Now that we have the place to build the protein
and the copied instructions on how to make the protein, the parts (amino acids) need to be brought over to the
workbench and placed in the correct order. The job of ______ is to transfer these amino acids to the correct
location. On one end of the tRNA is the amino acid and the other end contains three bases called the
______________________. The anticodon is the complement to the _______________ on the mRNA strand.
Protein production does not start until the tRNA hits a unique sequence of bases (AUG); this is called the
____________________________. The tRNA will keep bringing over the amino acids until it finds one of the
four __________________________. Whalah! We have a new chain of amino acids to start twisting and folding
into its final protein shape when it moves through the transportation system of the cell called
__________________and then the packaging plant called the ______________________.
Direction for activity:
Overview: You will need no more than 3 people in your group. One person will play the role of mRNA, another
person will role play the rRNA, and the third person will play the role of tRNA . You will do this activity three
times, so you will switch roles the second time around.

mRNA: Locate the nucleus. There are four different genes; pick one and write the number of the DNA strand
you choose in the space provided. Transcribe your DNA strand on the line provided (on back). Now take your
newly made mRNA back to your group to your rRNA (ribosome).

rRNA: Take the mRNA strand and transcribe it using the genetic code chart. Write down the order of the
amino acids on the space provided. Now, give your transcribed mRNA to your tRNA in your group.

tRNA: Get a pipe cleaner from the teacher’s desk. Around the room are glass dishes filled with “amino acids”
(beads). Use the transcribed information from your rRNA teammate and build the protein.
ALL THREE GROUP MEMBERS COME TO THE TEACHERS DESK WITH YOUR PAPERS. I will check the order of
the amino acids for your specified DNA strand. If it is correct, you will switch the roles you played and do the
activity one more time. PUT THE BEADS BACK IN THE CORRECT GLASS JARS!
Round #1
DNA strand # ________
mRNA: ______________________________________________________________________
a.a.: ________________________________________________________________________
stamp
Round #2
DNA strand # ________
mRNA: ______________________________________________________________________
a.a.: ________________________________________________________________________
stamp
Round #3
DNA strand # ________
mRNA: ______________________________________________________________________
a.a.: ________________________________________________________________________
Post Activity: Do this part on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to the activity paper
Here are some of the Content Standards for Genetics according the California State Board of Education. Choose
three of them to discuss in a short paragraph and include examples where appropriate.
a.
Students know the general pathway by which ribosomes synthesize proteins, using tRNAs to translate
genetic information in mRNA.
b. Students know how to apply the genetic coding rules to predict the sequence of amino acids from a
sequence of codons in RNA.
c. Students know proteins can differ from one another in the number and sequence of amino acids.
d. Students know why proteins having different amino acid sequences typically have different shapes and
chemical properties.
e. Students know the general structures and functions of DNA, RNA, and protein.
f. Students know how to apply base-pairing rules to explain precise copying of DNA during replication and
transcription of information from DNA into mRNA.