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📘 Find mRNA, the ribosome, and the growing chain first

A translation diagram is easier to read when you identify its three main objects before following arrows. The mRNA is the strand written in nucleotide triplets. The ribosome is the two-part molecular machine sitting on that strand. The grow

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
Adults
level
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What you’ll learn

  1. Orient the machineryIdentify mRNA, ribosome, tRNAs, codons, anticodons, and the genetic code.Translation reads fixed three-base codons in order on messenger RNA.
  2. Run the cycleFollow initiation, A/P/E sites, and peptide-bond formation.Matching, bond formation, and translocation repeat each codon cycle.
  3. Finish the proteinTrace translocation, stop-codon recognition, and a full diagram audit.Termination releases the chain without adding an amino acid at the stop.

Questions this course answers

What is a codon?

Codons are three-base units on mRNA that specify an amino acid or stop signal.

What pairs with an mRNA codon?

The tRNA anticodon recognizes the codon by complementary RNA base pairing.

Where is the growing peptide held before the next bond forms?

The P-site tRNA carries the growing peptide while the A site receives the next aminoacyl-tRNA.

What happens at an in-frame stop codon?

Stop codons recruit release factors rather than normal aminoacyl-tRNAs.

What must remain fixed while reading codons?

Changing the frame changes which bases are grouped together and therefore changes the translation.

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