DNA translation is the process that converts an mRNA sequence into a string of
amino acids that form a protein. This fundamental process is responsible for
creating the proteins that make up most cells. It also marks the final step in
the journey from DNA sequence to a functional protein; the last piece of the
central dogma to molecular biology.
Figure %: The Central Dogma
The previous SparkNote, The Genetic Code,
discussed the way information is encoded in the nucleotides of DNA and, by
extension through the process of
transcription, in mRNA.
In that
discussion, the Genetic Code SparkNote explained how mRNA codes for specific
amino acids, bringing those acids together to form the proteins essential for
life processes. This SparkNote, Translation, will discuss the mechanism of
protein production.
The SparkNote will begin by introducing transfer RNA (tRNA), the molecule
that creates the link between the information held in the mRNA and the amino
acids. Next, it will look at the ribosomes, the "factories" in which
protein synthesis takes place. After that, we'll have the knowledge necessary
to understand the actual process of protein synthesis.
Finally, we will look at the slight differences inherent in prokaryote and eukaryote translational processes.
