In the context of translation, what is the primary function of a ribosome in the cell?

• A. It transports newly synthesized proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus in vesicles.
• B. It replicates DNA by adding complementary nucleotides to a growing DNA strand.
• C. It generates ATP by pumping protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane during oxidative phosphorylation.
• D. It synthesizes a polypeptide by reading mRNA codons and catalyzing peptide bond formation between amino acids delivered by tRNAs.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that translation is the process by which proteins are synthesized from messenger RNA (mRNA) templates.
2. Recognize that ribosomes are the molecular machines responsible for reading the sequence of codons on the mRNA.
3. Know that transfer RNAs (tRNAs) bring specific amino acids to the ribosome according to the codon sequence on the mRNA.
4. Realize that the ribosome catalyzes the formation of peptide bonds between amino acids, linking them into a growing polypeptide chain.
5. Conclude that the primary function of the ribosome is to synthesize polypeptides by decoding mRNA and facilitating peptide bond formation.