The process of making proteins Protein Synthesis The process of making proteins Without proteins life as we know it would not exist!!! The first 3 steps are referred to as transcription.

6 Steps of Protein Synthesis (The process of making a protein) 1. In the nucleus an enzyme, DNA Helicase, unzips a section of the DNA double helix. 2. In the nucleus the enzyme RNA polymerase transcribes the DNA into complementary bases G - C DNA = A - U mRNA T - A C - G 3. mRNA takes it’s list of complementary bases and leaves the nucleus, going into the cytoplasm.

The steps 4-6 are referred to as Translation. (going from the language of nitrogen bases to the language of amino acids)

U-A mRNA = C-G = tRNA A-U G-C 4. mRNA goes to a ribosome and is translated by tRNA . The tRNA brings the correct amino acid to the ribosome. U-A mRNA = C-G = tRNA A-U G-C 5. Complementary tRNA gives the amino acid it was carrying to the ribosome. The ribosome attaches it to the growing polypeptide chain. 6. Only after the polypeptide chain folds, does it become a fully functional protein.

tRNA carrying an Amino Acid