Protein synthesis is the process by which cells build proteins. This involves two main stages - transcription (where DNA is converted into RNA) and translation (where RNA is used to produce proteins).
Think of protein synthesis like baking a cake. The recipe (DNA) needs to be read and copied (transcription into mRNA), then the ingredients listed in the recipe are gathered and combined according to instructions (translation into a protein).
Transcription: This is the first step of protein synthesis where the information in DNA is copied into a new molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA).
Translation: This is the second step of protein synthesis where mRNA produced in transcription serves as a template for assembling amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
Amino Acids: These are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein.
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