Name: Diane W.
Status: Educator
Age: 40s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: February 2003
Question:
How long does the DNA--> Messenger RNA --> amino acids
formation --> protein synthesis process take? Seconds?
minutes?
Replies:
Once transcription is initiated, RNA polymerase can string nucleotides
together at a rate of about 30 nucleotides per second. An "average" sized RNA
of 5000 nucleotides would take about 3 minutes at 37C.
The complete synthesis of a protein takes 20 to 60 seconds on average.
Reference: The Molecular Biology of the Cell, by Bruce Alberts et al. Garland
Press
Paul Mahoney, PhD
Translation of a few hundred amino acids off an mRNA transcript takes a
second or so.
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