The second step of protein synthesis is called translation. During translation, the ribosome reads the sequence of messenger RNA (mRNA) that was transcribed during the first step, known as transcription.
In this process, the ribosome assembles amino acids into a polypeptide chain according to the sequence of codons on the mRNA. Each codon, a group of three nucleotides in the mRNA, corresponds to a specific amino acid. Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome, and the ribosome facilitates the binding of these amino acids to form a growing chain.
Translation occurs in three main phases: initiation, elongation, and termination. In the initiation phase, the ribosome assembles around the start codon of the mRNA. During elongation, the ribosome continues to read the mRNA and adds amino acids one by one to the chain. Finally, in the termination phase, the process concludes when the ribosome reaches a stop codon, signaling the end of the protein synthesis. The completed polypeptide chain then folds into its functional shape.