What is the primary cellular structure responsible for protein synthesis?

The primary cellular structure responsible for protein synthesis is ribosomes. Ribosomes are complex molecular machines found within all living cells, and they play a crucial role in translating the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA) into proteins. The process begins when mRNA, produced during transcription in the nucleus, is transported to the ribosome, where the sequence of nucleotides on the mRNA is read. Transfer RNA (tRNA) then brings the appropriate amino acids to the ribosome, where the ribosome facilitates the formation of peptide bonds between these amino acids, ultimately forming a polypeptide chain that folds into a functional protein.

While other cellular structures, such as the endoplasmic reticulum, are involved in the synthesis and processing of proteins, ribosomes are the actual sites where translation occurs. Mitochondria are primarily involved in energy production, lysosomes contain enzymes for digestion and waste processing, and the endoplasmic reticulum plays a supportive role in the folding and modification of proteins after their synthesis, but it is the ribosomes that carry out the fundamental process of assembling proteins from amino acids.