Page 65 - The Miracle in the Cell
P. 65

HARUN YAHYA
               ribosomes-the cell's main production units. The ribosomes read the
               instructions, starting from the beginning of the RNA strand. Each code
               in the DNA is made up of three bases called a codon, and represents
               one amino acid in the protein chain.
                    - Using the order it has obtained from the RNA, the ribosome
               joins together the amino acids to form a chain.
                    - One by one, the amino acids are brought to a molecule called
               the transfer RNA, or tRNA. Every tRNA carries its own special amino
               acid. The tRNA carries the amino acid on one end and on the other, the
               code with the address where the tRNA will deposit its load (the anti-
               codon; Figure 3.2).
                    - The tRNA that arrives at the ribosome aligns along the mRNA
               transcript at the described
               address. There it deposits
               the amino acid it is carrying             Growing  Ribosome
                                                  mRNA   polypeptide
               and moves away from the                   chain    subunits
                                                                  released
               ribosome. The ribosome
               moves one codon (three          START                      STOP
                                             COMMAND                    COMMAND
               bases) along the mRNA
               transcript. Another tRNA
               molecule arrives at the new                 Protein produc-
                                                           tion is complete.
















               4. The bond between the first  5. The ribosome   6. A peptide bond is again formed
               tRNA carrying the start codon  moves one step along the  between the second and third
               and the amino acid is broken.  mRNA transcript. The  amino acids. The ribosome shifts
               A peptide bond is formed  tRNA molecule brings to  along and reads the transcript, and
               between the amino acids,  the ribosome the amino  a corresponding amino acid is
               aligned next to each other.   acid dictated by the next  brought to the ribosome until the
                                     codon.              protein is completed.

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