What term refers to the process of converting DNA to protein?

The process of converting DNA to protein is accurately described by the term translation. Translation is the step in protein synthesis where the mRNA, which is transcribed from the DNA, is read by ribosomes to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain, ultimately forming a functional protein.

During this process, the sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA is translated into a specific sequence of amino acids, with each set of three nucleotides, known as a codon, corresponding to a particular amino acid. This occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell after mRNA is synthesized in the nucleus.

The other terms mentioned refer to different processes. Replication involves the copying of DNA to produce two identical strands for cell division, while transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template. Expression, on the other hand, is a broader term that encompasses both transcription and translation as part of how genes are expressed into functional proteins. Understanding these distinctions is fundamental to grasping molecular biology and the central dogma, which describes the flow of genetic information within a biological system.