Before we start, we need some background knowledge about protein synthesis.

These are proteins. Proteins are made of amino acids and are very important for your body. Energy, recovery, fat loss, strength gains, etc. are linked to amino acids.

This picture shows the Central Dogma of Biology. The Central Dogma of Biology shows the process that makes proteins, Protein Synthesis.

RNA and DNA take a huge part in Protein Synthesis. Below is a picture of DNA. DNA is called deoxyribonucleic (dē-ŏksē-rībō-noo-klēĭk) acid. DNA is a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms. It carries genetic information.

DNA is made of a phosphate group, a sugar group, and a nitrogen base. There are four types of nitrogen bases in DNA. They are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C).  Adenine and Thymine are always paired together as well as Cytosine and Guanine. The picture below shows an example of this.

Below is a picture of RNA. RNA is called ribonucleic (rahy-boh-noo-klee-ik) acid. RNA is present in all living cells. RNA is a messenger that carries instructions from DNA for Protein Synthesis.

RNA is also made of a phosphate group, a sugar group, and nitrogen bases. The nitrogen bases in RNA are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U). Like DNA these bases also pair up. Adenine pairs with uracil and cytosine pairs with guanine. The picture shown shows an example of this.

Very Important Vocabulary: (You can look back at this to help with the rest of the book)

Nucleotide: Nucleotides form the basic structural unit of nucleic acids such as DNA.

Nucleus: What directs the parts in a cell.

Phosphate Group: A functional group or radical comprised of phosphorus attached to four oxygen elements.

Ribosome: The protein builders of the cell.

More Vocabulary:

Genetic Code: The nucleotide triplets of DNA and RNA molecules that carry genetic information in living cells.

Genes: A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

Amino Acids: Amino acids are used in every cell of your body to build the proteins you need to survive

Cytoplasm: The fluid that fills a cell.

Cell Membrane: A semipermeable outside layer surrounding and protecting the contents of a cell.

More Vocabulary:

Biochemical Reactions: The transformation of one molecule to a different molecule inside a cell.

Now that we have some background knowledge we can go to the first step of Protein Synthesis.