Protein Synthesis - Translation Phase

Stage 2: Translation

Welcome to the fascinating world of cellular biology! During the translation phase, the mRNA produced in transcription is decoded to build a polypeptide chain that will fold into an active protein. This process occurs in the ribosome and involves the following steps:

  1. Initiation: The ribosome assembles around the target mRNA. The first tRNA is attached at the start codon.
  2. Elongation: The ribosome moves along mRNA, decoding the mRNA three bases at a time and adding the appropriate amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain.
  3. Termination: When a stop codon is reached, the ribosome releases the polypeptide.

Once the process is complete, the newly synthesized protein undergoes folding and modifications to become functional.

Illustration of a ribosome
Illustration of protein synthesis in a ribosome.

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