Translation of an RNA message into a protein

As the ribosome moves along the message, it accepts specific aminoacyl tRNAs in succession, selecting them by matching the trinucleotide anticodon on the tRNA to the trinucleotide codon on the RNA message (step 1).

The amino acid (in this example, the second one of the chain, Val) accepts the growing polypeptide chain (in this example the previously bound fMet) (step 2), and the ribosome moves on to the next codon to repeat the process, while releasing the deacylated transfer RNA that held the growing peptide in the previous cycle (the tRNA for fMet, step 3).

The preceding steps are repeated, adding more amino acids to the chain, until a stop signal is read (step 4), whereupon a protein release factor causes both the polypeptide and the mRNA to be released.