Question

What is the advantage of polysomes?

Short answer

Polysome arises because once an active ribosome has cleared the initiation site on mRNA, a second ribosome can initiate translation at that specific site.

Step-by-step solution

Polysomes

Polysomes are also termed polyribosomes that constitute a group of ribosomes connected to an mRNA-like molecule like beads on a thread. They are created during the elongation phase when ribosomes and elongation factors produce the encoded polypeptide.

The advantage of polysomes

In prokaryotes and eukaryotes, multiple ribosomes can connect to a single mRNA transcript, producing a beads-on-a-string structure termed polyribosome (polysome). Individual ribosomes are arranged in a helical fashion so that they possess a maximum density on the mRNA that is equal to 1ribosome per 80 nt. Polysome arises because once an active ribosome has cleared the initiation site on mRNA, a second ribosome can initiate translation at that specific site.