During which process is mRNA read to build an amino acid chain?

The correct answer is translation because this is the process in which messenger RNA (mRNA) is read by ribosomes to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain, which ultimately folds into a functional protein. During translation, the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA is translated into a sequence of amino acids, following the genetic code where each set of three nucleotides, known as a codon, corresponds to a specific amino acid.

As ribosomes decode the mRNA, transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome, matching their anticodons with the codons on the mRNA. This process elongates the amino acid chain, which will later fold into a protein. The efficiency and accuracy of translation are essential for proper cellular function and protein synthesis.

Understanding translation is key to grasping how genetic information is expressed and how proteins, which perform numerous critical roles in living organisms, are synthesized based on the blueprint provided by DNA.