What is the role of the ribosome in protein synthesis?

• A. To transport amino acids to the nucleus
• B. To transcribe DNA into mRNA
• C. To facilitate the binding of tRNA to mRNA and catalyze peptide bond formation
• D. To replicate DNA strands

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the central dogma of molecular biology, which describes the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. Protein synthesis is a key part of this process.
2. Recognize that ribosomes are the cellular structures where protein synthesis occurs. They are composed of rRNA and proteins and are found in the cytoplasm.
3. Learn that during protein synthesis, mRNA, which is transcribed from DNA, carries the genetic code to the ribosome. The ribosome reads the sequence of codons on the mRNA.
4. Identify the role of tRNA in protein synthesis. tRNA molecules transport specific amino acids to the ribosome, where they bind to the mRNA codons through complementary base pairing.
5. Understand that the ribosome facilitates the binding of tRNA to mRNA and catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds between amino acids, resulting in a growing polypeptide chain that will fold into a functional protein.