Which process involves decoding RNA to form polypeptides?

The process that involves decoding RNA to form polypeptides is translation. During translation, the ribosome reads the sequence of messenger RNA (mRNA), which was transcribed from DNA, and converts that information into a specific sequence of amino acids, thus forming a polypeptide chain. This chain eventually folds into a functional protein.

Translation is a crucial step in gene expression, as it directly links the genetic information stored in DNA and conveyed by mRNA to the amino acids that make up proteins. This process occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell, where ribosomes synthesize proteins by utilizing tRNA molecules that bring appropriate amino acids based on the codon sequence presented by the mRNA.

In contrast, transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template and does not involve the formation of polypeptides. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) refer to written guidelines for performing tasks in a consistent manner and are not biological processes. Activity assays measure the activity of enzymes or other proteins but do not describe the translation process.