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What are the differences between protein synthesis and DNA replication?
Posted December 5, 2022
Answer
Protein synthesis is the process of creating protein molecules while DNA replication is the synthesis of a new DNA molecule from an existing DNA molecule. While these two processes have a few similarities between them, there are also several differences in their mechanism as well as the final product. These are the differences between protein synthesis and DNA replication:
| Basis of differentiation | Protein synthesis | DNA replication |
| Definition | Is the process of creating a functional protein molecule based on the information present in the genes | Is the process of creating an identical copy of an existing double-stranded DNA molecule |
| Site of occurrence | Occurs in the nucleus and the cytoplasm | Take place in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the cytoplasm of prokaryotes |
| Mechanism | Involves two processes -Transcription and Translation | Involves the synthesis of an exact copy of an existing double-stranded DNA molecule |
| Initiation | Can be initiated from RNA or DNA | Can be initiated from DNA only |
| Enzymes | Only 1 enzyme - RNA polymerase. | 3 enzymes - RNA primase, DNA polymerase, and Helicase |
| mRNA | Involves mRNA molecules as well as DNA | Does not involve mRNA molecules |
| Final product | Protein molecule | Exact copy of an existing dsDNA molecule |
Additional resources
Helixyte™ Green Fluorimetric Total Nucleic Acid Quantitation Kit *Optimized for Microplate Readers*