What Are the Two Major Steps of Protein Synthesis?

Protein synthesis is a fundamental biological process that occurs in all living organisms. It involves the creation of proteins from amino acids, guided by the information encoded in DNA. The process can be broken down into two major steps: transcription and translation.

1. Transcription

Transcription is the first step in protein synthesis. During this process, the DNA sequence of a gene is copied into a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. This occurs in the nucleus of the cell. The enzyme RNA polymerase binds to a specific region of the DNA called the promoter and unwinds the DNA double helix. It then reads the DNA sequence and synthesizes a complementary mRNA strand. Once the mRNA is synthesized, it undergoes processing and then exits the nucleus to move into the cytoplasm.

2. Translation

Translation is the second step in protein synthesis. This process takes place in the cytoplasm, where the mRNA is read by the ribosome. The ribosome decodes the mRNA sequence and assembles the corresponding amino acids into a polypeptide chain, which will fold into a functional protein. Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome, matching them to the codons on the mRNA. The ribosome moves along the mRNA, adding amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain until it reaches a stop codon, signaling the end of translation.

In summary, protein synthesis involves two key steps: transcription, where the DNA code is transcribed into mRNA, and translation, where the mRNA is translated into a protein. These steps are crucial for the production of proteins that perform a wide range of functions in the cell.

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