What is the Difference Between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Translation?

The process of translation in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells is involved in protein synthesis. However, there are several differences between the two processes:

1. Synchronicity: Prokaryotic translation and transcription are synchronous processes, meaning they occur simultaneously. In contrast, eukaryotic translation and transcription are asynchronous, meaning they occur at different times.
2. Transcription Location: In prokaryotic cells, transcription and translation take place in the same location, the cytoplasm. In eukaryotic cells, transcription occurs in the nucleus, while translation takes place in the cytoplasm.
3. mRNA Stability: Prokaryotic mRNA is unstable and has a short lifespan, ranging from a few seconds to 2 minutes. Eukaryotic mRNA is more stable, with a lifespan of a few hours to days.
4. Ribosomes: Prokaryotic cells have 70S ribosomes, while eukaryotic cells have 80S ribosomes.
5. Initiation Factors: Prokaryotic translation requires three initiation factors, while eukaryotic translation requires nine.
6. mRNA Cap: Eukaryotic mRNA has a 5' cap and poly-A tail for protection and ribosome binding, while prokaryotic mRNA has a Shine-Dalgarno sequence for ribosome binding.
7. First Amino Acid: The first amino acid in prokaryotic translation is formylmethionine, while in eukaryotic translation, it is methionine.

Despite these differences, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic translations use the same genetic code, have similar codons, and use ribosomes as the machinery for protein synthesis.

Comparative Table: Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic Translation

Here is a table comparing the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation:

Prokaryotic translation is performed by 70S ribosomes, has an unstable mRNA, and occurs in the cytoplasm. In contrast, eukaryotic translation is performed by 80S ribosomes, has a stable mRNA, and occurs in both the nucleus and cytoplasm.