Protein synthesis 

Perhaps one of the most important functions of living cells and is the synthesis of proteins. Protein synthesis is intricate process that happens in several stages. The several stages of protein synthesis include transcription and a translation. In the several stages of protein synthesis the body uses amino acids and enzymes (proteins) to create muscle tissue. Several chains of RNA are built and looped together at an astounding rate to create muscle.

Without protein the body cannot create muscle, the protein has to come from breaking down the muscles within the body or from the foods you eat. This is why supplementation of protein is so important. There are several different enzymes needed to synthesize protein and build skeletal muscle. All of these substances are needed, as with building a car if you don’t have some of the pieces it isn’t going to work. Your body needs to have the proper materials to build muscles, proteins are those parts.

When you work out you break down the muscle fibers, your body has to then go in and quickly rebuild those fibers. The mending process turns into a growth process as the body fortifies the areas that you damaged by working out. Keeping this process going by working out allows your body to constantly increase muscle gains, or constantly replace dead and dying tissues as your muscles age. This allows you to have fresh muscle fibers continually.

Protein synthesis happens in stages, all in rapid secession. It begins with transcription and moves to translation and elongation of strands or muscle fibers. These are built into chains that are strung together. Right after you work out, as the RNA is rebuilding muscle fibers your body needs protein to be able to use it in the protein synthesis process.

Transcription is the process that happens before the synthesis of protein actually begins. This is where the information is transferred from DNA in the nucleus of the cell to the ribosome. Specialized proteins or enzymes called RNA polymerase control when transcription occurs. During this phase strands of RNA are synthesized. DNA is used as a template for messenger RNA (mRNA) synthesis. The mRNA matures and in this process it goes through a non-coding sequence and in this sequence it is a unit of three nucleotides and is referred to as a codon. This elongation continues at an astounding rate of more than fifty per second. Each of the twenty amino acids has more than one transfer RNA (tRNA) to carry them to the site where synthesis occurs.

Translation is where the ribosome binds mRNA at the first codon chain and continues elongation phase. In the elongation stage of protein synthesis amino acid complexes are made. These complexes sequentially bind to the correct codon creating an assembly site in the mRNA making base pairs with the tRNA anti-codon. These anti-codon are arranged into several loops. Ribosome continues to move from one codon to another as it continues along the chain of mRNA and amino acids added individually. These amino acids are then translated into polypeptidic sequences.

A peptide bond is formed between the amino acid and the polypeptide chain. Amino acid is drawn from the tRNA and cycled back into another complex with another amino acid so it can be used in another synthesis later (recycling within the body). At the end of the chain a release factor binds to the codon and terminates the elongation phase of translation causing the release of the completed polypeptide. As the ribosome moves along the mRNA it reopens the initiation site and allows additional protein synthesis causing proteins to be synthesized by multiple ribosomes that have acted on the same mRNA molecule. All of this happens at an astounding rate within the cells.

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