What is the primary function of ribosomes in a cell?

Ribosomes are essential cellular structures primarily responsible for the synthesis of proteins, a process known as translation. They facilitate the decoding of messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences to assemble amino acids into polypeptide chains, which eventually fold into functional proteins. This protein synthesis is critical because proteins perform a myriad of functions within the cell, including acting as enzymes, structural components, and signaling molecules.

While energy production, cellular respiration, and gene expression are crucial biological processes, they are not the primary roles of ribosomes. Energy production mainly occurs in organelles like mitochondria, cellular respiration encompasses a series of metabolic processes, and gene expression involves a complex interplay of DNA, mRNA, and regulatory elements. Thus, the primary function of ribosomes distinctly lies in the synthesis of proteins.