| Stage | Component | Function |
|---|---|---|
| tRNA charging | Amino acids | Building blocks of proteins |
| tRNAs | Deliver amino acids to ribosomes | |
| Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases | Attaches amino acids to tRNAs | |
| ATP | Provides energy for binding amino acid to tRNA | |
| Initiation | mRNA | Carries coding instructions |
| fMet-tRNAfMet | Provides first amino acid in peptide | |
| 30S ribosomal subunit | Attaches to mRNA | |
| 50S ribosomal subunit | Stabilizes tRNAs and amino acids | |
| Initiation factor 1 | Enhances dissociation of large and small subunits of ribosome | |
| Initiation factor 2 | Binds GTP; delivers fMet-tRNAfMet to initiation codon | |
| Initiation factor 3 | Binds to 30S subunit and prevents association with 50S subunit | |
| Elongation | 70S initiation complex | Functional ribosome with A, P, and E sites where protein synthesis takes place |
| Charged tRNAs | Bring amino acids to ribosome and help assemble them in order specified by mRNA | |
| Elongation factor Tu | Binds GTP and charged tRNA; delivers charged tRNA to A site | |
| Elongation factor Ts | Generates active elongation factor Tu | |
| Elongation factor G | Stimulates movement of ribosome to next codon | |
| GTP | Provides energy | |
| Peptidyl transferase center | Creates peptide bond between amino acids in A site and P site | |
| Termination | Release factors 1, 2, and 3 | Bind to ribosome when stop codon is reached and terminate translation |