What are the key players in transcription?

The main enzyme involved in transcription is RNA polymerase, which uses a single-stranded DNA template to synthesize a complementary strand of RNA. Specifically, RNA polymerase builds an RNA strand in the 5′ to 3′ direction, adding each new nucleotide to the 3′ end of the strand.

What are the molecular players involved in transcription?

1. Description of Transcription

  • Important Players in Transcription.
  • DNA: provides the instructions to make the RNA transcript.
  • messenger RNA (mRNA): RNA copy of DNA that will later be translated into a protein.
  • RNA Polymerase: enzyme responsible for copying DNA into RNA.

Who opens DNA in transcription?

RNA polymerase
RNA polymerase synthesizes an RNA transcript complementary to the DNA template strand in the 5′ to 3′ direction. It moves forward along the template strand in the 3′ to 5′ direction, opening the DNA double helix as it goes.

What is responsible for transcribing DNA?

Transcription is carried out by an enzyme called RNA polymerase and a number of accessory proteins called transcription factors. Transcription factors can bind to specific DNA sequences called enhancer and promoter sequences in order to recruit RNA polymerase to an appropriate transcription site.

Who discovered transcription?

Roger D. Kornberg

Roger Kornberg ForMemRS
Alma mater Harvard University (BS) Stanford University (PhD)
Known for Transmission of genetic information from DNA to RNA
Spouse(s) Yahli Lorch
Children 3

What are the steps involved in transcription?

Transcription takes place in three steps: initiation, elongation, and termination.

What is the coding strand of DNA?

When referring to DNA transcription, the coding strand (or informational strand) is the DNA strand whose base sequence is identical to the base sequence of the RNA transcript produced (although with thymine replaced by uracil). It is this strand which contains codons, while the non-coding strand contains anticodons.

Where does transcription take place in a gene?

It synthesizes the RNA strand in the 5′ to 3′ direction, while reading the template DNA strand in the 3′ to 5′ direction. The template DNA strand and RNA strand are antiparallel. Transcription of a gene takes place in three stages: initiation, elongation, and termination.

What are the three stages of DNA transcription?

Transcription is performed by enzymes called RNA polymerases, which link nucleotides to form an RNA strand (using a DNA strand as a template). Transcription has three stages: initiation, elongation, and termination.

What is the role of the template strand in transcription?

In transcription, a region of DNA opens up. One strand, the template strand, serves as a template for synthesis of a complementary RNA transcript. The other strand, the coding strand, is identical to the RNA transcript in sequence, except that it has uracil (U) bases in place of thymine (T) bases.

What is the goal of transcription in eukaryotes?

The goal of transcription is to make a RNA copy of a gene’s DNA sequence. For a protein-coding gene, the RNA copy, or transcript, carries the information needed to build a polypeptide (protein or protein subunit). Eukaryotic transcripts need to go through some processing steps before translation into proteins.