Questions? Comments? Please contact Dr. Phillip McClean or Christina Johnson.

Flythrough Tour
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CELLULAR PROCESSES
Atp Synthase
Electron Transport Chain
Protein Trafficking
Protein Modification
Protein Recycling
Constitutive Secretion
Regulated Secretion
Mitochondrial Protein Transport
Photosynthesis
Photosystem II
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MOLECULAR PROCESSES
Transcription
mRNA Processing
mRNA Splicing
Translation
Lac Operon
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HOME > TRANSLATION > ADVANCED LOOK > 1.) MRNA > 2.) INITIATION > 3.) ELONGATION

Translation: Advanced Look --> 3.) Elongation

Elongation is the term used to describe the growth of a protein. As amino acids are added together, they begin to form a peptide chain that will eventually become part of a protein. Clicking on each of the thumbnail images will bring up a larger, labeled version of the described scene.

To see the Flash movie for the following sequence of images, click here.

After the first tRNA has attached to the peptidyl site, a second tRNA enters the complete ribosome and attaches to its complementary mRNA codon in the aminoacyl site.
With the two tRNA in place, the amino acid from the peptidyl tRNA, moves and attaches to the tRNA in the aminoacyl site.
No longer bearing an amino acid, the tRNA from the peptidyl site leaves the ribosome.
The ribosome then moves along the strand of mRNA, and the former aminoacyl site becomes the new peptidyl site. A new tRNA, based upon the triplet coding sequence of the mRNA, fills the new aminoacyl site.
Again, the growing peptide chain of amino acids is transferred from the petidyl tRNA to the amino acid of the tRNA in the aminoacyl site.
The ribosome moves along the mRNA again, and another charged (with its amino acid) tRNA fills the aminoacyl site.
The growing peptide chain is again transferred from the peptidyl tRNA to the amino acid attached to the tRNA in the aminoacyl site.
This process of peptide synthesis continues as the ribosome moves along the mRNA, and the future protein grows longer.

NEXT --> 4.) TERMINATION