Kinetic proofreading

The proper functioning of protein synthesis depends on the ability of the ribosome to decode the messenger RNA with high fidelity. When a ribosome incorporates amino acids in a ratchet-like manner, the error rate is below 1/10,000 well below the value predicted by chemical equilibrium law. Specific proteins, acting like Maxwell’s demon, test (proofread) if the correct amino acid is presented to the ribosome.