Do Biosynthesized Amino Acids still need tRNAs?
When a cancer cell uses glutamate to make proline by biosynthesis, does it still require tRNA and undergo same translation processes as in normal amino acid translation?
When a cancer cell uses glutamate to make proline by biosynthesis, does it still require tRNA and undergo same translation processes as in normal amino acid translation?
Smeghead
Favorite Answer
Your question is confused. tRNA is not used to MAKE amino acids; it is used to USE amino acids. tRNA is required to take an amino acid and put it into a protein. It doesn't matter whether the amino acid is made by the cell or absorbed from your food or whatever. It also doesn't matter if the cell is cancerous or not. tRNA is still needed during translation to get the amino acid into your protein.
Ted K
Short answer is NO.
Translation refers specifically and strictly to synthesis of proteins--the stringing together of amino acids by the translational machinery (including mRNA, tRNA, ribosomes, etc).
Biosynthesis of the amino acids themselves is a separate process from translation. It involves chemical modifications to various carbon skeletons of intermediates from metabolism.
Cancer cells do both of those the same way non-cancer cells do, although some of the regulatory processes which modulate them have been undone or aren't working.