This learning resource is available in interactive and printable formats. The interactive worksheet can be played online and assigned to students. The Printable PDF version can be downloaded and printed for completion by hand.
"Ribosome mRNA translation en" by LadyofHats / Wikimedia Commons.
Ribosomes are tiny but powerful structures found in all living cells. They are responsible for making proteins, which are essential for a cell’s survival and function. Proteins do many jobs in the body, like building muscles, carrying oxygen, and helping chemical reactions happen. Because of this, ribosomes are often called the “protein factories” of the cell.
Ribosomes can be found floating freely in the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum, forming what’s called the rough ER. Whether free or attached, all ribosomes do the same job—reading instructions from the cell’s DNA (through a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA) and using those instructions to assemble proteins from amino acids. Each protein must be made in the correct order, or it won’t work properly.
Even though ribosomes are not surrounded by a membrane like other organelles, they are still very important. Ribosomes are made of two parts, called subunits, which come together only when it’s time to build a protein. These subunits are built in the nucleolus and then travel out into the cytoplasm.
All cells, from simple bacteria to complex plant and animal cells, have ribosomes. Cells that need to make a lot of proteins—like muscle cells or pancreas cells—have thousands of ribosomes working at once.
Fun Fact: A single human cell can have up to 10 million ribosomes, all working hard to build proteins every second!
What is the main function of ribosomes?
Store DNAMake proteinsCreate energyControl the cell
Where can ribosomes be found in a cell?
Only in the nucleusOnly on the cell membraneFloating in cytoplasm or on rough ERInside the mitochondria
What molecule carries the instructions that ribosomes read?
DNAProteinCytoplasmmRNA
What are proteins made from?
SugarsFatsAmino acidsRibosomes
What happens if proteins are not built in the correct order?
They grow largerThey won’t work properlyThey become DNAThey make energy
How do ribosome subunits come together?
They are stored in mitochondriaThey are always attachedThey join only when making proteinsThey form in the cytoplasm
What is the main idea of the passage?
Ribosomes store energyRibosomes help cells divideRibosomes build proteins using instructionsRibosomes are only found in animals
Why do muscle cells have many ribosomes?
They are full of DNAThey don’t make proteinsThey need lots of protein for workThey don’t have a nucleus
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