Photosynthesis
Essay Preview: Photosynthesis
Report this essay
Translation is the synthesis of a polypeptide using genetic information which is encoded in an mRNA (messenger RNA) molecule. The information which is encoded changes from molecules to amino acids. It also lines codons and anticodons and eventually makes tRNA (transfer RNA). Messenger RNA turns into transfer RNA during translation. The basic concept of translation is that molecules of mRNA are moved through a ribosome and codons are translated into amino acids. Transfer RNA molecules have anticodons at one end and another amino acid at the other end. The polypeptide chain grows because the tRNA adds its amino acids when the anticodon bonds to a codon on the mRNA. The codons complement each other and increase the size of the polypeptide chain. The molecules of tRNA are all unique and that uniqueness is an integral part of the process of translating the genetic message into an amino acid sequence since the tRNA links to a specific mRNA codon with a particular amino acid. This match is what develops the unique genetic message into the specific amino acid sequence. Transcription on the other hand is the synthesis of RNA on a DNA template. It is a DNA directed synthesis of RNA. Messenger RNA which carries the information of DNA to the cells protein-synthesizing area is transcribed from the template strand of the gene. RNA polymerase pulls the 2 strands of DNA apart and hooks together the RNA nucleotides and they base-pair along the DNA template. The movement of the RNA polymerase within the gene leads it to assemble an RNA molecule which complements the genes template strand. RNA is made during transcription and the message of DNA is read and you get the pattern. Transcription relates the DNA to the RNA in` the form of a pattern.
Transcription and translation are similar in that they deal with the genetic message that needs to be decoded as an amino acid sequence. So essentially, translation and transcription are 2 processes which work together in accomplishing a particular goal. They both deal with mRNA and tRNA as well as DNA and the sequence of pulling together the strands to form a polypeptide chain which can then be decoded as an amino acid sequence. The work that is performed during these 2 processes is essentially the same as well the biggest difference is the method in which it is performed in one case information is being translated while in the other it is being transcribed hence the different names.
The differences between translation and transcription start with the name one process uses translating while the other