Question

How is information translated during protein synthesis?

Answer 1

Hint: The process of synthesis of protein on the ribosomal units present in the endoplasmic reticulum or the cytoplasm is known as the translation.

Complete answer:
The synthesis of protein is carried out after the synthesis of RNA from the DNA in the nucleus of a cell (known as the process of transcription). The complete process involving transcription as well as translation is known as the gene expression.
The process of translation involves decoding of the messenger RNA or the mRNA on the ribosomal surface. It results in the production of chains of specific amino acids or the polypeptides outside the nucleus. Active protein is thus formed by the folding of the polypeptide chain and is involved in performing various functions of the cell. The mRNA codons bind to the complementary sequences of tRNA anticodon on the ribosomes.

Translation process occurs in following three stages:
-Initiation: Target mRNA is assembled on the ribosomes and the process is initiated at the start codon through the attachment of the first tRNA.
-Elongation: The amino acid carried by the tRNA is transferred to another preceding tRNA molecule present on the large ribosomal subunit. This process is known as transpeptidation. The ribosome thus moves towards the subsequent mRNA codon and translocation is thus continued. This forms a chain of an amino acid.
-Termination: The polypeptide is released from the ribosome as soon as it reaches a stop codon.

Note: The process of translation is carried out inside the cytoplasm in the prokaryotic organisms like archaea and bacteria. It involves binding of mRNA molecules to the larger and smaller subunit of the ribosomes. However, the protein synthesis (translation) in the eukaryotes occurs across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane or in the cytosol. This process is known as the co-translational translocation.