Final answer:
The step involving the addition of 10 or more nucleotides to form a stable ternary complex is most likely referring to the elongation phase of translation in protein synthesis, where amino acids are added to the growing polypeptide chain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The step that involves the addition of 10 or more nucleotides to form a stable ternary complex typically refers to a stage in the process of translation or transcription in molecular biology, particularly during the elongation phase of protein synthesis. In translation, the ribosome adds amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain by facilitating the entry of transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules that are charged with amino acids. The ternary complex here would comprise an aminoacyl-tRNA, GTP, and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). Each cycle of elongation, which includes the decoding of mRNA and peptidyl transferase activity, results in the addition of an amino acid to the polypeptide chain, effectively elongating it.
In transcription, the addition of nucleotides would pertain to the synthesis of mRNA, whereby RNA polymerase catalyzes the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides, but 'ternary complex' is not typically used to describe events in transcription.