Final answer:
Elongation factor-G (EF-G), or translocase, is the factor that hydrolyzes GTP to provide the energy for translocation during the elongation phase of bacterial translation, facilitating ribosomal movement along mRNA.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factor that hydrolyzes GTP to provide energy for translocation in bacterial translation is the elongation factor-G (EF-G), also known as translocase. During the process of elongation, EF-G binds GTP and upon binding to the ribosome, it triggers the hydrolysis of GTP which provides the necessary energy for the ribosome to move or translocate along the mRNA by three bases.
This energy from GTP hydrolysis is harnessed for the ribosome to perform two main functions. Firstly, it allows the ribosome to push the deacylated tRNA from the P site into the E site, where it is subsequently released into the cytosol. Secondly, it helps in moving the peptidyl-tRNA with the growing polypeptide chain from the A site to the P site.
The process is fast and efficient; for instance, the E. coli translation apparatus can add each amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain in just 0.05 seconds, enabling the synthesis of a 200-amino acid protein in about 10 seconds.