Importance of Translation in Protein Synthesis

Translation is very important in the process of making proteins. Without transcription and translation, your body would have no possible way to make proteins, or function. Proteins allow your body to do everything. Muscle proteins allow your muscles to strengthen and grow. Antibodies protect the body from germs. Some proteins support body structures, whereas others help with your body’s movements. There are thousands of functions for different proteins.

First, part of the DNA unwinds in the nucleus. RNA polymerase binds to the promoter (T-A-T-A) (“start”) region on the DNA strand. RNA polymerase unzips the DNA strand and makes pre-mRNA by joining RNA bases to DNA. The RNA polymerase reaches the “stop” region and pre-mRNA is released from the DNA. Pre-mRNA removes introns, or unwanted mRNA, to make mRNA. Then, it exits the nucleus into the cytoplasm.

The process of translation begins by the mRNA attaching to the ribosome at the AUG codon. From there, the ribosome “decodes” the codon and brings in the first loaded tRNA, as it finishes decoding the next codon; it brings in the second loaded tRNA. The first tRNA unloads the amino acid to the second tRNA and then unbinds from mRNA. This results in a chain of amino acids, protein, and the cycle continues until the stop codon is reached.

The importance of each step of translation is very great. Many things could change and be highly affective to the process, or if the process changed, the effect of this could be very devastating. Through transcription, the DNA is copied and readied to make the proteins. The first step of translation is when the messenger RNA (mRNA) attaches to the ribosome at the AUG codon. The AUG codon is the codon that signals “start” and so it begins to attach here. Without this signal, the mRNA would not attach to the ribosome and no proteins would be able to be made. This is the type of organism that is able to transfer these codes into amino acids. The ribosome decodes the codons and brings in loaded transfer RNA (tRNA). This step is essential because tRNA brings in the codon to the “mate”. Without this step, the codons would never be able to make proteins/amino acids. RNA is a single strand of codes, whereas DNA is two strands of “codes” and proteins, like DNA, must have a mate. The ribosome decodes the next codon and brings in loaded tRNA. The first tRNA finishes unloading the amino acid and detaches from the mRNA to go and get loaded again, continuing the cycle. These steps are important to translation because this is how proteins are bound, through a series of amino acids combined in a chain. Without this process, and each step unloading amino acids on the mRNA to make combinations of amino acids, or chains, then proteins would only be able to be produced artificially, if at all. Your body could completely shut down and not be able to move or be able to speak, or function in any way.

Protein combinations, not visible to the naked eye, are essential to life on earth. Without this process of protein synthesis, or, the making of proteins through translation and transcription, life would be nothing like it is today.

Resources

"Protein Synthesis -Â Translation." About.com Biology. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://biology.about.com/od/cellularprocesses/ss/protein-synthesis-translation_2.htm.

"Translation or Protein Synthesis." Translation or Protein Synthesis. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/organic/translation.html.