32 (a) (i) Name the process for the synthesis of a polypeptide chain from a messenger–RNA base sequence - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 32 - 2014 - Paper 1

The formation of a functional enzyme from polypeptide chains involves the following steps:

1. Transcription: Information from DNA is transcribed to mRNA.
2. Translation: mRNA is used to synthesize a polypeptide chain at the ribosome.
3. Folding: The polypeptide chain folds into a specific three-dimensional shape, which is crucial for its function.
4. Post-translational modifications: The polypeptide may undergo further modifications such as phosphorylation or glycosylation, aiding in its activation and functionality.
5. Formation of the enzyme: The correctly folded and modified polypeptide chain now functions as an active enzyme or part of an enzyme complex.

A flow chart for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is summarized as follows:

1. **Denaturation**
   - Heat to 95°C
   - DNA becomes single-stranded.

2. **Annealing**
   - Cool to allow primers to bind to DNA.

3. **Extension**
   - Raise the temperature to allow DNA polymerase to add nucleotides.

4. **Amplified DNA**
   - Double-stranded DNA molecules are produced.

This process is repeated for several cycles to increase the amount of DNA exponentially.

A comparison between traditional and biotransformational biotechnology can be summarized as follows:

• Similarity: Both traditional and biotransformational biotechnologies utilize living organisms or derivatives of organisms in processes aimed at developing products or enhancing processes in various fields such as agriculture, medicine, and industry.

• Difference: Traditional biotechnology often involves natural processes like fermentation using microbes, whereas biotransformational biotechnology focuses on modifying or designing organisms or their metabolic pathways to produce specific compounds or carry out transformations at an enhanced scale.