Name: Date:
Student Exploration: RNA and Protein Synthesis
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: amino acid, anticodon, codon, gene, messenger RNA, nucleotide, ribosome, RNA, RNA
polymerase, transcription, transfer RNA, translation
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Suppose you want to design and build a house. How would you communicate your design plans with the
construction crew that would work on the house?
I would use a blueprint. My ideas would be put in a thorough, organized, and concise plan.
2. Cells build large, complicated molecules, such as proteins. What do you think cells use as their “design
plans” for proteins?
I think that the cells use DNA as their design plan. DNA holds the information needed for
the proteins to function. It is thorough with the placement of amino acids and nucleotides.
Gizmo Warm-up
Just as a construction crew uses blueprints to build a house, a cell uses DNA
as plans for building proteins. In addition to DNA, another nucleic acid, called
RNA, is involved in making proteins. In the RNA and Protein Synthesis Gizmo,
you will use both DNA and RNA to construct a protein out of amino acids.
1. DNA is composed of the bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and
thymine (T). RNA is composed of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil
(U).
Look at the SIMULATION pane. Is the displayed segment a part of a DNA
or RNA molecule? How do you know?
It is a DNA molecule because it has pairs of thymine with adenine.
2. RNA polymerase is a type of enzyme. Enzymes help chemical reactions occur quickly. Click the Release
enzyme button, and describe what happens.
RNA plymerase splits up the DNA.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Transcription ● If necessary, click Release enzyme.
Introduction: The first stage of building a protein involves a process known as transcription. In transcription,
a segment of DNA serves as a template to produce a complementary strand of RNA. This complementary
strand is called messenger RNA, or mRNA.
Question: What occurs during transcription?
1. Experiment: Like DNA, RNA follows base-pairing rules. Experiment to find which RNA nucleotide on the
right side of the Gizmo will successfully pair with the thymine at the top of the template strand of DNA.
(NOTE: The DNA on the right side is the template strand.)
Which RNA base bonded with the thymine? Adenine bonded with thymine.
2. Experiment: The next three bases on the DNA template strand are adenine, cytosine, and guanine. Use the
Gizmo to answer the following questions:
A. Which RNA base bonds with adenine? Uracil bonded with adenine.
B. Which RNA base bonds with cytosine? Guanine bonded with cytosine.
C. Which RNA base bonds with guanine? Cytosine bonded with guanine.
3. Observe:
In molecules of RNA, uracil takes the place of the DNA Thymine
base
4. Build: Continue building the strand of mRNA until you have used all of the RNA nucleotides.
What is the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA strand you built? AUGCUGACCUAG
5. Apply: Suppose a template strand of DNA had the following sequence:
T A C G G A T A A C T A C C G G G T A T T C A A
What would be the complementary strand of mRNA?
A U G C C U A U U G A U G G C C C A U A A G U U
6. Predict: How would a change to the sequence of nucleotides in a DNA segment affect the mRNA
transcribed from the DNA?
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
Student Exploration: RNA and Protein Synthesis
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: amino acid, anticodon, codon, gene, messenger RNA, nucleotide, ribosome, RNA, RNA
polymerase, transcription, transfer RNA, translation
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
1. Suppose you want to design and build a house. How would you communicate your design plans with the
construction crew that would work on the house?
I would use a blueprint. My ideas would be put in a thorough, organized, and concise plan.
2. Cells build large, complicated molecules, such as proteins. What do you think cells use as their “design
plans” for proteins?
I think that the cells use DNA as their design plan. DNA holds the information needed for
the proteins to function. It is thorough with the placement of amino acids and nucleotides.
Gizmo Warm-up
Just as a construction crew uses blueprints to build a house, a cell uses DNA
as plans for building proteins. In addition to DNA, another nucleic acid, called
RNA, is involved in making proteins. In the RNA and Protein Synthesis Gizmo,
you will use both DNA and RNA to construct a protein out of amino acids.
1. DNA is composed of the bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and
thymine (T). RNA is composed of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil
(U).
Look at the SIMULATION pane. Is the displayed segment a part of a DNA
or RNA molecule? How do you know?
It is a DNA molecule because it has pairs of thymine with adenine.
2. RNA polymerase is a type of enzyme. Enzymes help chemical reactions occur quickly. Click the Release
enzyme button, and describe what happens.
RNA plymerase splits up the DNA.
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
, Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Transcription ● If necessary, click Release enzyme.
Introduction: The first stage of building a protein involves a process known as transcription. In transcription,
a segment of DNA serves as a template to produce a complementary strand of RNA. This complementary
strand is called messenger RNA, or mRNA.
Question: What occurs during transcription?
1. Experiment: Like DNA, RNA follows base-pairing rules. Experiment to find which RNA nucleotide on the
right side of the Gizmo will successfully pair with the thymine at the top of the template strand of DNA.
(NOTE: The DNA on the right side is the template strand.)
Which RNA base bonded with the thymine? Adenine bonded with thymine.
2. Experiment: The next three bases on the DNA template strand are adenine, cytosine, and guanine. Use the
Gizmo to answer the following questions:
A. Which RNA base bonds with adenine? Uracil bonded with adenine.
B. Which RNA base bonds with cytosine? Guanine bonded with cytosine.
C. Which RNA base bonds with guanine? Cytosine bonded with guanine.
3. Observe:
In molecules of RNA, uracil takes the place of the DNA Thymine
base
4. Build: Continue building the strand of mRNA until you have used all of the RNA nucleotides.
What is the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA strand you built? AUGCUGACCUAG
5. Apply: Suppose a template strand of DNA had the following sequence:
T A C G G A T A A C T A C C G G G T A T T C A A
What would be the complementary strand of mRNA?
A U G C C U A U U G A U G G C C C A U A A G U U
6. Predict: How would a change to the sequence of nucleotides in a DNA segment affect the mRNA
transcribed from the DNA?
Reproduction for educational use only. Public sharing or posting prohibited. © 2020 ExploreLearning™ All rights reserved
