The part of a cell that synthesizes proteins is the ribosome. Ribosomes are cellular machinery made of RNA and proteins that read messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences to assemble amino acids into proteins. They can be found floating in the cytoplasm or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The rough ER is involved in the folding and preparation of these proteins for transport. Protein synthesis begins with the DNA in the nucleus being transcribed into mRNA, which then moves to the ribosomes for translation into a protein chain. Thus, the primary site of protein synthesis is the ribosome, with the rough endoplasmic reticulum playing a key role in processing proteins for secretion or membrane use.