OCR General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Biology Practice Exam

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What is the process called in which mRNA is used as a template to form proteins?

Replication
Translation
Transcription
Translocation

The correct answer is: Translation

The process where mRNA serves as a template for forming proteins is known as translation. During translation, the sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA is read by ribosomes to assemble a chain of amino acids in the correct order, ultimately folding into a functional protein. This step is crucial in the central dogma of molecular biology, which describes how genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. In this context, other processes like replication, transcription, and translocation serve different functions. Replication refers to the process of duplicating DNA before cell division. Transcription is the creation of mRNA from a DNA template, which occurs prior to translation when the cell needs to express a specific gene. Translocation, on the other hand, often refers to the movement of proteins or the movement of genetic material within or between chromosomes, and does not directly pertain to the formation of proteins from mRNA. Therefore, translation is specifically the phase where proteins are synthesized using the information encoded in mRNA.