Ribosome (Noun)
Meaning
An organelle in the cytoplasm of a living cell; they attach to mRNA and move down it one codon at a time and then stop until tRNA brings the required amino acid; when it reaches a stop codon it falls apart and releases the completed protein molecule for use by the cell; "the ribosome is the site of protein synthesis".
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The ribosome plays a crucial role in the process of translation, linking amino acids together to form a polypeptide chain based on the genetic information provided by the mRNA molecule.
- Free ribosomes suspended in the cytoplasm of the cell are responsible for synthesizing proteins that function within the cell itself, such as enzymes involved in metabolic pathways.
- Attached ribosomes embedded in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane produce proteins that are destined to function outside the cell or be incorporated into cellular membranes.
- During translation, the ribosome reads the sequence of the mRNA and matches the codons with the corresponding amino acids, which are brought to the ribosome by transfer RNA molecules.
- The ribosome has two subunits that come together to form the functional complex, allowing it to bind to the mRNA and initiate the process of protein synthesis.