Simultaneous transcription & translation of a prokaryotic DNA

The figure shows an electron micrograph and its interpretation. DNA and strings of individual ribosomes attached to a single mRNA (this structure is called a polyribosome or polysome) are visible. The mRNA and RNAPol molecules are barely visible. The protein polypeptide associated with each ribosome is too small to be seen.


Figure ©2000 by Campbell et al. ; all text material ©2014 by Steven M. Carr