Translation is a vital process in protein synthesis that occurs in the ribosome. It involves the decoding of messenger RNA (mRNA) to build polypeptide chains, which will eventually fold into functional proteins.
During translation, transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules play a crucial role by bringing the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome. Each tRNA has a specific anticodon that pairs with the codons on the mRNA. As the ribosome moves along the mRNA sequence, the tRNA corresponding to each codon binds to the ribosome and adds its amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain.
Crucially, this process involves the release of the tRNA that has already contributed its amino acid to the chain, effectively freeing up its binding site for a new aminoacyl-tRNA. This cycle continues until the entire protein is synthesized, which is essential for cellular function and growth.