What happens during Translation?
Responses
DNA-------------> mRNA
DNA-------------> mRNA
mRNA--------> tRNA
mRNA--------> tRNA
mRNA-----------> Protein
mRNA-----------> Protein
DNA-----------------> Protein
During translation, the process by which proteins are synthesized, the information encoded in DNA is used to make a protein molecule. It involves four main steps: initiation, elongation, termination, and protein folding.
1. Initiation: Translation begins with the binding of ribosomes to the mRNA molecule at a specific region called the start codon. This is facilitated by the binding of tRNA (transfer RNA) carrying the amino acid methionine to the ribosome.
2. Elongation: In this step, the ribosome moves along the mRNA molecule, reading three nucleotides called codons at a time. With each codon, a corresponding tRNA molecule carrying the specific amino acid complementary to the codon binds to the mRNA. The ribosome catalyzes the formation of a peptide bond between the amino acids carried by adjacent tRNAs, forming a growing polypeptide chain.
3. Termination: Translation ends at a stop codon on the mRNA. This codon does not code for any amino acid, but instead signals the release of the completed polypeptide chain from the ribosome. The ribosome dissociates from the mRNA, and the newly synthesized protein is released.
4. Protein Folding: After translation, the newly synthesized protein undergoes folding into its functional three-dimensional structure, which determines its specific biological activity.
Overall, translation is the process that converts the genetic information from DNA into a specific sequence of amino acids, forming a functional protein.