Co-transcriptional Translation

Definition

Co-transcriptional translation refers to simultaneous processes of transcription and translation within prokaryotic cells, where the mRNA is being synthesized and read to make proteins at the same time.

Related terms

Ribosome:

The molecular machine that reads mRNA sequences and assembles amino acids into proteins based on those instructions.

Prokaryotic Cells:

Single-celled organisms without a nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles. In these cells, transcription and translation can occur simultaneously.

Polysome: A complex formed when multiple ribosomes are translating the same mRNA strand at once, like several workers on an assembly line working on different parts of the same product.