Concept 21 RNA is an intermediary between DNA and protein.
Paul Zamecnik
Dr. Zamecnik was Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, and a member of the Board of Directors of Hybridon, Inc., a biotechnology company he helped found, until he passed away in 2009.
- Describing an early experience that led to interest in studying protein synthesis.
- The background and motivation for developing a cell-free protein synthesis system, and how the focus soon changed to finding out 'what the machinery was like.'
- Describing the cell fractionation experiments to isolate the components needed for protein synthesis.
- The role of 'pseudo-serendipity' in making discoveries: finding the missing RNA components in the protein synthesis system.
- Finding tRNA and identifying its role in protein synthesis.
DNA and proteins are key molecules of the cell nucleus.
One gene makes one protein.
A gene is made of DNA.
Bacteria and viruses have DNA too.
The DNA molecule is shaped like a twisted ladder.
A half DNA ladder is a template for copying the whole.
RNA is an intermediary between DNA and protein.
DNA words are three letters long.
A gene is a discrete sequence of DNA nucleotides.
The RNA message is sometimes edited.
Some viruses store genetic information in RNA.
RNA was the first genetic molecule.
Mutations are changes in genetic information.
Some types of mutations are automatically repaired.