vital roles of Ribosomes in protein synthesis and gene expression

Ribosomes

Makes proteins

Ribosomes are small structures found in all living cells, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic. They are responsible for the synthesis of proteins, which are necessary for the structure, function, and regulation of cells. Ribosomes are composed of two subunits, a larger unit and a smaller unit, which together are responsible for the assembly of amino acids into proteins through a process called translation.

The larger subunit of the ribosome contains three sites for tRNA (transfer RNA) molecules, which bring amino acids to the ribosome for incorporation into the growing protein chain. The smaller subunit contains the decoding center, which recognizes and binds to mRNA (messenger RNA), the molecule that carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.

During translation, the ribosome reads the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA in groups of three, called codons, and matches them with the appropriate amino acid brought by the tRNA molecules. As each amino acid is added to the growing protein chain, the ribosome moves along the mRNA strand until it reaches a stop codon, signaling the end of protein synthesis.

In addition to their role in protein synthesis, ribosomes also play a key role in the regulation of gene expression. They can be found both free in the cytoplasm and bound to the endoplasmic reticulum. Ribosomes bound to the endoplasmic reticulum are responsible for the synthesis of proteins that are destined for secretion or membrane insertion. Ribosomes are essential for the proper functioning of all cells and mutations or defects in ribosome function can lead to a variety of diseases.

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