Final answer:
Sigma 54 is involved in transcription, not translation, and it requires an activator protein. It is part of the RNA polymerase complex and is important for the initiation stage of transcription, where it helps in recognizing the promoter regions of genes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sigma 54 is involved in transcription and requires an activator protein to function. In bacterial transcription, the sigma factor (such as the sigma 54) is a component of RNA polymerase that enables specific binding to promoters and initiates RNA synthesis. The sigma factor is primarily involved in the initiation stage of transcription. The key function of a sigma factor is to recognize the promoter region of a gene, thereby allowing the RNA polymerase to bind and begin transcription.
Translation, in contrast, is the process by which ribosomes synthesize proteins from amino acids using the genetic information present in a mRNA molecule. Three main stages of translation include initiation, elongation, and termination. During initiation, a ribosome binds to an mRNA transcript. Elongation is where tRNAs bring amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain, and termination occurs when a stop codon signals the end of the protein synthesis.