Final answer:
Protein synthesis is the process of translating genetic information from DNA into functional proteins, involving transcription to produce mRNA and translation to assemble proteins based on mRNA sequences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of converting the genetic information in DNA to a functional protein is known as protein synthesis. This complex process involves two main stages: transcription and translation. During transcription, a segment of DNA is used to produce a complementary mRNA strand. This mRNA then travels from the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. In the second stage, translation, the ribosome reads the mRNA sequence three nucleotides at a time—each triplet, known as a codon, specifies a particular amino acid. The amino acids are then linked together in the specified sequence to form the protein. The entire process is a key part of the Central Dogma of molecular biology, which outlines the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein.