In this video, we're going to begin our lesson on the steps of translation. And so very similarly to transcription, the process of translation also consists of 3 steps, and they are named the same as they are named in transcription. So it starts with the initiation process, and then it moves on into the elongation process. And then last but not least, it moves on to the termination process. And so as we move forward in our course, we're going to talk about each of these three steps of translation in their own separate videos, starting with the initiation process.
And so in the initiation of translation, of course, we know initiation just means the start or the beginning of the process. And during the initiation of translation, it turns out that the small ribosomal subunit of the ribosome is actually first going to bind to the messenger RNA and a tRNA before the large ribosomal subunit even comes into play and binds. And so if we take a look at our image down below at the initiation of translation, notice that at the very beginning, the small ribosomal subunit, which we're showing you here, is going to bind to the messenger RNA, the mRNA first. And, the messenger RNA, is then going to associate with the tRNA that you see here. And so the small ribosomal subunit is going to bind to the messenger RNA and the tRNA before this large ribosomal subunit over here, the large ribosomal subunit, even comes into play. And so that's really the sequence of events here, the small ribosomal subunit binding to the mRNA, then the tRNA, and then lastly here, the large ribosomal subunit is the last component to come into play during initiation.
Now one thing to note is that, of course, the mRNA, the messenger RNA is going to contain the codons, the 3 nucleotide sequences. And so the very first codon is going to be the start codon. It's what's known as the start codon. And the start codon is going to be AUG, which specifies the amino acid methionine or MET. And so, the start codon AUG that specifies the amino acid methionine is going to initiate the start of translation during this initiation process. And so what you'll notice here is that here in the mRNA we have the codon AUG, and this is going to be the start codon. And, of course, the codons are going to specify amino acids through the tRNAs, the transfer RNAs, which are going to have anticodons that are complementary to the codon. And so the tRNA, of course, is going to be a charged tRNA that is attached to an amino acid. And this amino acid, that corresponds with the start codon is going to be methionine, which is abbreviated as MET. And so we can put MET in here, And so that is going to be, the first amino acid in the chain of, the polypeptide chain. Now it turns out that the initiation of translation is actually can be quite a complex process. It actually involves several proteins that are called initiation factors, which we're actually not showing you here in this image. And, translation the initiation requires energy as well, which we are showing you the energy here, to remind you that it does require energy. And so ultimately, at the end of, the initiation of translation, we have the complete intact ribosome bound to the messenger RNA and the very, very first tRNA, that corresponds with the start codon, and the amino acid methionine.
And so, this here concludes our introduction to the initiation of translation and the steps of translation. And we'll be able to talk more about these steps of translation as we move forward in our course, continuing with elongation and then, of course, ending with termination. So I'll see you all in our next video.