What is the biological production of peptides called?

The biological production of peptides is referred to as polypeptide synthesis. This process involves the assembly of amino acids into a chain, which is then folded to form a functional peptide or protein. During translation, ribosomes read the mRNA sequence and facilitate the bonding of amino acids, which are brought to the ribosome by transfer RNA (tRNA). As each amino acid is added, the growing polypeptide chain takes shape according to the genetic code dictated by the mRNA.

In the context of the other options, protein synthesis is a broader term that encompasses the entire process of producing proteins, which includes polypeptide synthesis as well as post-translational modifications. Amino acid synthesis refers to the metabolic pathways that produce the building blocks of proteins but does not directly indicate the formation of peptides. Nucleotide synthesis pertains to the formation of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA, and is not involved in peptide formation at all. Thus, polypeptide synthesis is the most accurate term when specifically discussing the production of peptides.