Synthesis of proteins grows from the N-terminus to the C-terminus.

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Synthesis of proteins grows from the N-terminus to the C-terminus.

Protein synthesis proceeds from the N-terminus toward the C-terminus. The ribosome reads the mRNA in the 5'→3' direction and adds each new amino acid to the growing polypeptide at its carboxyl (C) end. The first amino acid that emerges becomes the N-terminus, and with each cycle a new amino acid is attached to the chain’s C-terminus, extending it toward the C-terminus. This directional growth is set by the order of codons read on the mRNA and the way peptide bonds form between the existing chain’s terminal carboxyl group and the incoming amino acid.

Protein synthesis proceeds from the N-terminus toward the C-terminus. The ribosome reads the mRNA in the 5'→3' direction and adds each new amino acid to the growing polypeptide at its carboxyl (C) end. The first amino acid that emerges becomes the N-terminus, and with each cycle a new amino acid is attached to the chain’s C-terminus, extending it toward the C-terminus. This directional growth is set by the order of codons read on the mRNA and the way peptide bonds form between the existing chain’s terminal carboxyl group and the incoming amino acid.

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