Transcription and Translation Notes
● Transcription: process by which mRNA is made from a gene’ s DNA sequence.
mRNA stands for messenger RNA.
occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells (prokaryotes don’t have a nucleus so transcription
and translation both take place in the cytoplasm)
● Translation: process by which a protein is made from an mRNA sequence.
● So, transcription happens first, and is followed by translation. I remember this in two ways: first –
the words definitions themselves help me out. To transcribe something means to make a copy of it.
mRNA is a copy of a gene, whereas translating something means to convert it to a new language - in
this case, to translate from the language of nucleic acids that use nucleotides into the language of
proteins, which uses amino acids as its letters. The other way I remember that transcription comes
first is that they both start with trans, but transcription has a “c” next, which comes before “l” in the
alphabet!
TRANSCRIPTION
Each strand of DNA contains many genes. Transcription is making a copy of one of these genes that
can then be used as the directions for the amino acid order in a protein.
RNA Polymerase
● Molecular machine
● binds to the promotor region of a gene - this area becomes available for binding based on
epigenetics.
There are thousands of proteins (called transcription factors) that either make it easier for
RNA polymerase to bind, or those that inhibit its ability to bind this promoter (often by a
process called methylation). This will ultimately determine when and how often this
particular gene gets transcribed and is a vastly fascinating area of research right now.
Gene regulation manages which of these genes are expressed in any given cell in your body .
● unwinds DNA
● adds RNA nucleotides to a template strand of DNA
RNA uses uracil in place of thymine.
RNA uses a ribose sugar in its backbone instead of the deoxyribose used in DNA.
● pre-mRNA has the potential to code for multiple proteins, depending on how it is edited.
● Once the RNA polymerase reaches the end of the gene, the sequence triggers release of the mRNA
● Transcription: process by which mRNA is made from a gene’ s DNA sequence.
mRNA stands for messenger RNA.
occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells (prokaryotes don’t have a nucleus so transcription
and translation both take place in the cytoplasm)
● Translation: process by which a protein is made from an mRNA sequence.
● So, transcription happens first, and is followed by translation. I remember this in two ways: first –
the words definitions themselves help me out. To transcribe something means to make a copy of it.
mRNA is a copy of a gene, whereas translating something means to convert it to a new language - in
this case, to translate from the language of nucleic acids that use nucleotides into the language of
proteins, which uses amino acids as its letters. The other way I remember that transcription comes
first is that they both start with trans, but transcription has a “c” next, which comes before “l” in the
alphabet!
TRANSCRIPTION
Each strand of DNA contains many genes. Transcription is making a copy of one of these genes that
can then be used as the directions for the amino acid order in a protein.
RNA Polymerase
● Molecular machine
● binds to the promotor region of a gene - this area becomes available for binding based on
epigenetics.
There are thousands of proteins (called transcription factors) that either make it easier for
RNA polymerase to bind, or those that inhibit its ability to bind this promoter (often by a
process called methylation). This will ultimately determine when and how often this
particular gene gets transcribed and is a vastly fascinating area of research right now.
Gene regulation manages which of these genes are expressed in any given cell in your body .
● unwinds DNA
● adds RNA nucleotides to a template strand of DNA
RNA uses uracil in place of thymine.
RNA uses a ribose sugar in its backbone instead of the deoxyribose used in DNA.
● pre-mRNA has the potential to code for multiple proteins, depending on how it is edited.
● Once the RNA polymerase reaches the end of the gene, the sequence triggers release of the mRNA
