Here's how it works:
1. Transcription: DNA in the nucleus is transcribed into mRNA. This means the genetic code from DNA is copied into a messenger molecule.
2. mRNA Processing: The mRNA undergoes some modifications to prepare it for translation.
3. Export: The processed mRNA leaves the nucleus and enters the cytoplasm.
4. Translation: The mRNA arrives at a ribosome. Here, the genetic code is translated into a chain of amino acids, forming a protein.
So, mRNA acts as a go-between, carrying the genetic instructions from the DNA in the nucleus to the protein-making machinery in the ribosome.