key term - Guanosine triphosphate (GTP)

Definition

Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) is a nucleotide that serves as an energy source in various biological processes, including protein synthesis. It plays a crucial role in signal transduction and acts as a substrate for RNA synthesis during transcription.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. GTP is essential for the initiation and elongation stages of translation.
2. It provides energy for the binding of tRNA to the ribosome during protein synthesis.
3. GTP is hydrolyzed to GDP (guanosine diphosphate) to release energy.
4. In eukaryotic cells, GTP-binding proteins are involved in the regulation of cellular processes like cell growth and differentiation.
5. GTP is also required for the proper functioning of elongation factors like EF-Tu and EF-G during translation.

Review Questions

Related terms

GDP: Guanosine diphosphate, a product of GTP hydrolysis, involved in energy transfer.

tRNA:

Transfer RNA, which brings amino acids to the ribosome during protein synthesis.

Elongation Factor EF-Tu: A protein that binds aminoacyl-tRNA and delivers it to the ribosome, requiring GTP for its function.