The synthesis of a protein begins when the gene for the protein is encoded and is expressed through the process of transcription. Transcription is what transmits information from DNA to RNA. The word proteins is derived from the Greek "proteios" which means first, these are biomolecules in the form of linear chains composed of amino acids, proteins play a fundamental role for life, since they are the most versatile and diverse biomolecules.
The process of synthesizing begins from an mRNA template of a protein, this is called translation The mRNA is loaded from the ribosome and reads three nucleotides at a time, pairing each genetic code or codon with its nitrogenous bases or anticodon that are located in a transfer RNA molecule that are carried by the corresponding amino acid the genetic code it recognizes. The enzyme aminoacyl tRNA synthetase loads transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules with the correct amino acids.
The size of a synthesized protein can be measured by the amount of amino acids it contains or by its total molecular mass, which is normally expressed in daltons (Da, synonymous with atomic mass unit) or its derived unit kilodalton (kDa). Once synthesized or through the synthesis process, while the protein is bending, it adapts a characteristic shape that allows it to perform its function. In this way, there is an important flow of biological information from DNA to RNA that ends in the sequence of the protein that, by determining its structure, enables it to perform a certain function.
The performance of protein synthesis is divided into the following phases:
- Activation phases of amino acids.
- The translation phase that includes:
- Beginning of protein synthesis.
- Elongation of the monomeric protein chain.
- Completion of protein synthesis.
- Association of monomeric protein chains and in some cases, prosthetic groups for the construction of proteins.
At the end of the synthesis phase of a protein, the messenger RNA is released that can be read again, even before the synthesis of a protein ends, the next can begin, that is, the same messenger RNA can be used by several ribosomes the same time.
