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Transcription of DNA To RNA

Transcription terminates when RNA polymerase reaches a stop sequence in the gene. This causes the enzyme to detach from the DNA and release the completed mRNA molecule. Transcription converts a segment of DNA into a complementary mRNA strand in three main steps - initiation, elongation, and termination.

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16 views2 pages

Transcription of DNA To RNA

Transcription terminates when RNA polymerase reaches a stop sequence in the gene. This causes the enzyme to detach from the DNA and release the completed mRNA molecule. Transcription converts a segment of DNA into a complementary mRNA strand in three main steps - initiation, elongation, and termination.

Uploaded by

Reymark Novecio
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Name/s: Termination is the last step of the transcription process.

This happens when RNA


polymerase enzyme reaches a stop or termination sequence in the gene. When the stop
Grade and Section: sequence or stop codon is reached, the enzyme detaches from the gene. The mRNA strand
Transcription of DNA to RNA is now produced and it detaches from DNA. It carries with it the information encoded in the
gene. By the end of transcription, the DNA segment is transcribed to form the mRNA
RNA (Ribonucleic Acid), unlike the double stranded DNA, is a nucleic acid polymer with a molecule. The template strand shown below with the sequence T-A-C-T-A-G-A-G-C-A-T-T
single strand. It is composed of the four nucleotides adenine, uracil (replaced thymine in transcribes to form the mRNA A-U-G-A-U-C-U-C-G-U-A-A.
DNA), guanine and cytosine which are represented by their first letter A, U, G, C. (The only
difference with DNA is the Uracil). RNA is the first intermediate in converting the
information from the DNA into proteins which is important for proper cellular function.

Transcription of DNA to form RNA takes place in the cell’s nucleus. This process uses DNA
as a model to make an RNA (mRNA) molecule. During transcription, a strand of mRNA is
made that corresponds to a strand of DNA. Just like DNA replication, transcription also
occurs in three major steps: initiation, elongation and termination.

1. Initiation

Initiation is the start of transcription. It transpires when the enzyme RNA polymerase binds
to a specific region of a gene which is called the promoter with the help of proteins called
Compare and Contrast DNA from RNA
‘transcription factors’. This signals the DNA double strand to unwind and open so the RNA
polymerase enzyme can ‘‘read’’ the bases found in one of the DNA strands. With the open
strands, one is considered as the template strand (anti-sense strand) and this will be used
to generate the mRNA. The other is called the non-template strand (sense strand). After
reading the bases, the RNA polymerase enzyme is now ready to make a strand of mRNA
with a complementary sequence of bases.

2. Elongation

Elongation is the adding of nucleotides to the mRNA strand. RNA polymerase reads the
opened DNA strand and forms the mRNA molecule with the use of complementary base
pairs. There is a short time during this process when the newly formed RNA is bound to the
opened DNA. During this process of elongation, an adenine (A) in the DNA binds to an uracil
(U) in the RNA. RNA polymerase does not need a primer during this process. It simply
initiates the mRNA synthesis from the starting point and then moves downstream reading
the anti-sense strand from 3’ to 5’ and generating the mRNA from the 5’ to 3’ end as it goes.
Unlike helicase enzyme in DNA replication, RNA polymerase zips DNA back up as it goes
keeping only 10- 20 bases exposed one at a time.

3. Termination
II. Crossword Puzzle:

RNA falls into three major categories: Messenger RNA (mRNA), Transfer RNA (tRNA) and
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA). mRNA copies the genetic code from the DNA into a form that can
be read and used to make proteins. mRNA transmits genetic information from the nucleus
to the cell’s cytoplasm. rRNA is situated in the cytoplasm of a cell, where we can find the
ribosomes. rRNA leads the translation of mRNA into proteins. tRNA transfers amino acids
to the ribosome that matches to each three-nucleotide codon of rRNA. The amino acids
then can be combined together and processed to make polypeptides and proteins.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING:

1. What do you call a nucleic acid polymer with a single strand?

2. What are the four nucleobases in RNA transcription?

3. What are the three major categories of RNA?

4. What are the three major steps of transcription?

5. What is this step of transcription transpires when the enzyme RNA polymerase binds to
a specific region of a gene which is called the promoter with the help of proteins called
‘transcription factors?

5. What do you call the transcription step where nucleotides are added to the mRNA strand?

6. What is the transcription step that happens when RNA polymerase enzyme reaches a
stop or termination sequence in the gene when the stop codon is reached?

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