Final answer:
Chemical information in mRNA is used to construct a protein through the process of translation, involving mRNA, ribosomes, tRNA, and enzymes. Amino acids are assembled according to the sequence encoded in mRNA, forming polypeptides that fold into proteins.
Step-by-step explanation:
Through translation, chemical information in mRNA directs the construction of an amino acid chain or polypeptide which folds into a protein. This process occurs in the cytoplasm where ribosomes facilitate the decoding of mRNA sequences into the specific sequence of amino acids that form the protein.
Translation involves several key players such as mRNA, ribosomes, tRNA, amino acids, and various enzymes. Ribosomes, composed of protein and rRNA, attach to mRNA and 'read' its nucleotide sequence. tRNA molecules match mRNA codons with the corresponding amino acids, which are linked together to form a polypeptide chain.
This polypeptide chain then undergoes folding to become a functional protein, playing a crucial role in the phenotype of an organism.