Hi, I'm currently learning about the similarities and difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. I'm pretty confident in what some of these differences are. One that I'm having a hard time picturing is how eukaryotes can only translate one gene at once and prokaryotes can translate one gene multiple times. Thank you for your helping this is a great website too.
The best way to go about this is thinking about the different processes between the two. Transcription is the process in which the DNA sequence is copied into an mRNA sequence .Translation is the copying of an mRNA sequence and translating it to a sequence of other amino acids and proteins during protein synthesis. Eukaryotes undergo this translation process as an asynchronous process. This meaning it can only copy one sequence or gene at a time. Prokaryotes undergo this in a synchronous process, this meaning multiple things occurring at the same time.
Very basically why these two processes differ is that in eukaryotic translation, these processes(meaning transcription and translation) occur in different parts of the cell. Transcription occurs in the nucleus, and translation occurs in the cytoplasm. These both at different times because it is in different parts of the cell. In prokaryotes however, these processes occur both in the cytoplasm allowing them to occur simultaneously. This allows them to complete multiple sequences at a time.
Does that clear anything up? please let me know if you need further clarification!
Thank u