Final answer:
The incorrect statement about protein synthesis is that the mitochondria are the sites of synthesis; actually, ribosomes are where proteins are synthesized. Transcription and translation involve mRNA, tRNA, and codons to produce proteins.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that is NOT true of protein synthesis is "The sites of protein synthesis are the mitochondria of cells." The actual sites of protein synthesis are the ribosomes, not the mitochondria. Protein synthesis involves several key steps and elements:
Transcription occurs when the genetic code from DNA is copied by mRNA within the nucleus.
This mRNA carries the genetic instructions out of the nucleus to the ribosome.
In translation, mRNA is read in sets of three bases called codons, each of which codes for one amino acid.
tRNA molecules carry these amino acids to the ribosomes, where they are matched with the appropriate codons on the mRNA.
Each set of three bases on DNA corresponds to a complementary three-base codon on mRNA, which in turn is translated into an amino acid through the use of tRNA anticodons.
Therefore, all statements except the one about mitochondria accurately describe the process of protein synthesis.