THE PROCESS OF MRNA DIRECTED POLYPEPTIDE SYNTHESIS BY RIBOSOME IS CALLED?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: Translation
Explanation:
The process of mRNA-directed polypeptide synthesis by the ribosome is known as translation. It is one of the central steps in the flow of genetic information within a cell, often referred to as the central dogma of molecular biology. The central dogma describes the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA through transcription, and from RNA to protein through translation.
During translation, messenger RNA (mRNA), which is produced from DNA during transcription, serves as a template that dictates the specific sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain. This occurs in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, where ribosomes are located either freely floating or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
The ribosome, a large and complex molecular machine composed of ribosomal RNA and proteins, reads the sequence of codons in the mRNA. Each codon is a sequence of three nucleotides that corresponds to a specific amino acid. Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules play a key role by bringing the correct amino acids to the ribosome. Each tRNA has an anticodon region that can base-pair with its complementary mRNA codon and an attached amino acid that matches the codon being read.
Translation occurs in three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination. During initiation, the ribosome assembles around the start codon on the mRNA. During elongation, the ribosome moves along the mRNA, and amino acids are added one by one to the growing polypeptide chain. Finally, in termination, the process ends when a stop codon is reached, and the completed polypeptide is released.
This newly synthesized polypeptide will fold into its functional three-dimensional shape and may undergo further modifications before becoming a fully functional protein. Translation is essential for gene expression and plays a crucial role in virtually every cellular process.
