Which cellular process uses an RNA template to synthesize a protein?

Which cellular process uses an RNA template to synthesize a protein?

• A. Translation
• B. Transcription
• C. Splicing
• D. Replication

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how proteins are built from RNA. Translation is the process where the cell uses an RNA template to make a protein. In translation, the ribosome reads the messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence three nucleotides at a time (each group is a codon) and brings in the appropriate amino acids via transfer RNA (tRNA). The order of codons on the mRNA determines the order of amino acids, and the ribosome links these amino acids together to form a polypeptide that folds into a functional protein. This step requires energy and involves initiation, elongation, and termination phases, starting at a start codon and ending at a stop codon. Transcription, by contrast, uses a DNA template to synthesize RNA, not protein. Splicing is RNA processing that removes introns from the nascent RNA and joins exons to produce mature mRNA. Replication copies DNA to DNA, not RNA to protein. So translation is the process that directly uses an RNA template to assemble a protein.

The main idea here is how proteins are built from RNA. Translation is the process where the cell uses an RNA template to make a protein. In translation, the ribosome reads the messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence three nucleotides at a time (each group is a codon) and brings in the appropriate amino acids via transfer RNA (tRNA). The order of codons on the mRNA determines the order of amino acids, and the ribosome links these amino acids together to form a polypeptide that folds into a functional protein. This step requires energy and involves initiation, elongation, and termination phases, starting at a start codon and ending at a stop codon.

Transcription, by contrast, uses a DNA template to synthesize RNA, not protein. Splicing is RNA processing that removes introns from the nascent RNA and joins exons to produce mature mRNA. Replication copies DNA to DNA, not RNA to protein. So translation is the process that directly uses an RNA template to assemble a protein.