12 Crucial Difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Translation

What is the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation?

The translation is a biological process where ribosomes in the endoplasmic reticulum synthesize proteins after transcription of DNA to RNA in the nucleus. The process happens in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes but in a different way.

The core difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation is that prokaryotic translation is a continuous process of both transcription and translation in the cytoplasm while eukaryotic translation is a discontinuous process as translation occurs in the cytoplasm and transcription in the nucleus.

Difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Translation

What Is Prokaryotic Translation?

The prokaryotic translation is a continuous process where both transcription and translation occur in the cytoplasm. Prokaryotic organisms are unicellular which means that their entire life is based on one cell.

What Is Eukaryotic Translation?

The eukaryotic translation is a discontinuous process where transcription takes place in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm. Eukaryote organisms are multicellular which means they are made up of cells performing specialized functions.

Comparison Chart: Prokaryotic Translation Vs Eukaryotic Translation

Basic Terms Prokaryotic Translation Eukaryotic Translation
Definition It is a continuous process where both transcription and translation occur in the cytoplasm It is a discontinuous process where translation occurs in the cytoplasm and transcription in the nucleus.
mRNA occurrence Cytoplasm Nucleus
Cap initiation Cap-independent Cap-dependent and Cap-independent
Carried out by 70S ribosomes 80S ribosomes
Stability of mRNA Unstable Stable
Ribosomes Number 30S & 50S = 70S 40S & 60S = 80S
Lifespan of mRNA A few seconds to 2 minutes A few hours to days
Occurrence Lack of definite phase G1 and G2 phase of the cell cycle
Process Fast Slow
Release factor RF1, RF2 eRF
Initiation factor 3 9
Speed of translation About twenty amino acids per second Only one amino acid per second
Placement of AUG codon P-site By shinedalgarno sequence Scanning of mRNA
mRNA type Polycystic Monocistonic
Chain initiating amino acid N-formyl methionine methionine
Post translation modification Take place in the cytoplasm Take place on the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, and cytoplasm

Core Difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Translation In Point Form

  1. Prokaryotic translation is a continuous process while eukaryotic translation is a discontinuous process.
  2. Prokaryotic translation has ribosome type 70s while eukaryotic translation has type 80s.
  3. The prokaryotic translation mRNA is polycistronic while that of eukaryotic translation mRNA is monocistronic
  4. The first amino acid during prokaryotic translation is N-formyl methionine while that of eukaryotic translation is methionine
  5. The initiation codon of eukaryotic translation is GUG or CUG while that of prokaryotic translation is GUG or UUG
  6. The eukaryotic translation is a slower process while prokaryotic translation is a faster process
  7. The eukaryotic translation requires a set of 9 initiation factors elF while prokaryotic translation requires 3 initiation factors IFI.
  8. The prokaryotic translation has no definite phase while eukaryotic translation has G1 and G2 phase of the cell cycle
  9. The lifespan of mRNA in prokaryotic translation is about few seconds to 2 minutes while that of eukaryotic translation is a few hours to days
  10. The prokaryotic translation has mRNA which is stable while that of eukaryotic translation is unstable
  11. The mRNA of prokaryotic translation is found in the cytoplasm while that of eukaryotic translation in the nucleus
  12. The cap initiation of prokaryotic translation is Cap-independent while that of eukaryotic translation is both Cap-dependent and Cap-independent.

Similarities between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Translation

  1. Both use the mRNA template
  2. Both synthesize mRNA from DNA molecule
  3. Both require ribosomes for the synthesis of protein
  4. Both have similar 20 amino acid groups
  5. Both groups have similar 60 codons
  6. Both protein syntheses take place in the cytoplasm
  7. Both group experience formation of peptide bonds
  8. Both have similar three stop codons

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Comparison Video

Summary

The main difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic translation is that eukaryotic is a discontinuous process while prokaryotic translation is a continuous process. Prokaryotic translation takes place in unicellular organism while eukaryotic translation in multicellular organisms.

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