Learn: Translation

Welcome!I've reviewed your growth areas and created this lesson to strengthen your understanding of translation, while also improving related concepts in human physiology and genetics. Let's get started!

What is Translation?Translation is the process where the genetic code in mRNA is used to assemble amino acids into a specific protein. This occurs at the ribosome and is a key step in gene expression. Understanding translation is important because it explains how DNA instructions are converted into functional proteins, which are essential for all living processes.

The Role of mRNAmRNA (messenger RNA) carries the genetic code copied from DNA during transcription. It acts as a template for building proteins. The code is organised into codons, which are groups of three nucleotides that specify a particular amino acid.

The RibosomeThe ribosome is the site of protein synthesis. It reads the mRNA codons and facilitates the assembly of amino acids into a polypeptide chain. Ribosomes consist of two subunits: the large subunit and the small subunit, which work together during translation.

tRNA and CodonstRNA (transfer RNA) brings the correct amino acids to the ribosome. Each tRNA molecule has an anticodon that pairs with the complementary codon on the mRNA. This ensures the amino acids are added in the correct order.

Peptide Bond FormationAmino acids are joined together by peptide bonds to form a polypeptide chain. The ribosome catalyses this process, ensuring the chain grows in the correct order as dictated by the mRNA sequence.

TerminationTranslation ends when the ribosome reaches a stop codon on the mRNA. Stop codons do not code for an amino acid but signal the ribosome to release the completed polypeptide chain.

Review Time!Well done! You've learned about translation, including mRNA, ribosomes, tRNA, peptide bonds, and termination. Let's test your understanding with a few final questions.