Ribosome Structure and Protein Synthesis — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2023The presence of a catalyst would enhance the rate of peptide bond formation. The cellular factory responsible for synthesising proteins is the ribosome. The ribosome consists of structural RNAs and about 80 different proteins. In its inactive state, it exists as two subunits; a large subunit and a small subunit. When the small subunit encounters an mRNA, the process of translation of the mRNA to protein begins. There are two sites in the large subunit, for subsequent amino acids to bind to and thus, be close enough to each other for the formation of a peptide bond. The ribosome also acts as a catalyst (23S rRNA in bacteria is the enzyme- ribozyme) for the formation of peptide bond.
NTA tests students on the ribosome's composition: it contains structural RNAs and approximately 80 different proteins. The key trap is confusing the number of ribosomal proteins across different organisms or forgetting that the ribosome has two functional subunits (large and small). Students must remember that the 23S rRNA in bacteria acts as a ribozyme (catalyst) for peptide bond formation, not just a structural component. To answer correctly, focus on: ribosome = RNA + proteins, it functions in translation, and rRNA itself catalyzes peptide bonds. This appears repeatedly (2016, 2022, 2023) because protein synthesis is fundamental to molecular biology.
This paragraph was tested 3 times in NEET.
How many different proteins does the ribosome consist of? (NEET 2023)
The process of translation of mRNA to proteins begins as soon as: (NEET 2022)
Which bacterial rRNA acts as structural RNA and ribozyme? (NEET 2016 Phase 2)
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