Which process is directly facilitated by complementary base pairing during DNA translation?

The correct answer is protein synthesis. During translation, complementary base pairing is essential for the accurate assembly of amino acids into a polypeptide chain. This process occurs in the ribosome, where transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules carry specific amino acids and match their anticodon regions to the corresponding codons on the messenger RNA (mRNA).

This pairing ensures that the correct amino acids are added in the proper sequence as dictated by the mRNA template. The fidelity of this base pairing is critical for producing functional proteins based on the information encoded in the DNA. Each tRNA has an anticodon that is complementary to the codon on the mRNA strand, allowing for the precise translation of the genetic code into a specific protein.

Other processes like transcription, replication, and mutation repair involve different mechanisms and do not directly relate to the role of complementary base pairing during protein synthesis. In transcription, for example, RNA is synthesized from a DNA template but pertains to a different step of gene expression. Replication involves the duplication of DNA molecules, and mutation repair focuses on correcting errors in the DNA sequence, which also does not use the same base pairing for the synthesis of proteins.