8-Translation

Translation

The process of translating the mRNA sequence into an amino acid sequence in the cytosol.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or a start/stop signal.

tRNA

Transfer RNA; a molecule that links the codon from mRNA to the corresponding amino acid.

Aminoacyl Synthetase

An enzyme that attaches the appropriate amino acid to its tRNA.

Polycistronic mRNA

mRNA that can encode multiple proteins from a single transcript, often seen in bacterial systems.

Ribosome

A large ribonucleoprotein complex that catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds during protein synthesis.

Elongation

The phase of protein synthesis where amino acids are added one by one to the growing polypeptide chain.

Release Factors (RF's)

Proteins that recognize stop codons during translation and initiate the termination process.

Molecular Chaperones

Proteins that assist in the proper folding of other proteins and can help refold misfolded polypeptides.

Ubiquitin

A small protein that tags misfolded proteins for degradation by the proteasome.