How does DNA determine an organism’s characteristics? A process called translation decodes RNA created during transcription, and uses it to create proteins that perform specific cellular functions.

which is also known as the start codon. Consequently, methionine is the first amino acid to dock in the ribosome during the synthesis of proteins. Tryptophan is unique because it is the only amino ...

Ribosomes translocate along the mRNA strands one codon at a time. Codons are three nucleotide sequences in RNA that correspond to an amino acid; each codon binds to a tRNA molecule carrying the ...

We find that these inhibitors slow elongating ribosomes, thereby inducing a queue of pre-initiation complexes that can become positioned over and initiate from an otherwise poorly recognized start ...

The large ribosomal subunit then joins, forming the complete ribosome, and the initiator tRNA carrying methionine binds to the start codon. This process is facilitated by initiation factors, such as ...

During translation, ribosomes can pause on the nucleic acid. Researchers showed that collisions from incoming proteins get them moving again. Shelby is an assistant editor for The Scientist. She ...

The Kozak sequence enhances the efficiency of translation initiation by providing a favorable context for the ribosome to recognize the start codon. Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Differences in ...