Protein synthesis: transcription and translation

Protein synthesis happens in two main steps. In transcription, a gene's DNA sequence is copied into a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule, which in eukaryotic cells happens inside the nucleus. In translation, a ribosome reads that mRNA three bases at a time; most three-base codons specify an amino acid, while a few signal where to start or stop, and transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring the matching amino acids, which are linked into a chain that folds into a protein. Gene expression is this process of turning a gene's instructions into a working product, and cells control which of their genes they express, which is how cells with identical DNA can become very different from each other.

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