1.3: Transcription

BIOS220- Introduction to Genetics · LibreTexts

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    • 1.3.1: Transcription
      The second function of DNA (the first was replication) is to provide the information needed to construct the proteins necessary so that the cell can perform all of its functions. To do this, the DNA is “read” or transcribed into an mRNA molecule. The mRNA then provides the code to form a protein by a process called translation. Through the processes of transcription and translation, a protein is built with a specific sequence of amino acids that was originally encoded in the DNA.
    • 1.3.2: Bacterial Transcription
      The prokaryotes, which include bacteria and archaea, are mostly single-celled organisms that, by definition, lack membrane-bound nuclei and other organelles. A bacterial chromosome is a covalently closed circle that, unlike eukaryotic chromosomes, is not organized around histone proteins. The central region of the cell in which prokaryotic DNA resides is called the nucleoid. Prokaryotes often have abundant plasmids that are shorter circular DNA molecules that may only contain one or a few genes.
    • 1.3.3: Eukaryotic Transcription
      Prokaryotes and eukaryotes perform fundamentally the same process of transcription, with a few key differences. The most important difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes is the latter’s membrane-bound nucleus and organelles. With the genes bound in a nucleus, the eukaryotic cell must be able to transport its mRNA to the cytoplasm and must protect its mRNA from degrading before it is translated.
    • 1.3.4: RNA Processing
      After transcription, eukaryotic pre-mRNAs must undergo several processing steps before they can be translated. Eukaryotic (and prokaryotic) tRNAs and rRNAs also undergo processing before they can function as components in the protein synthesis machinery.

    This page titled 1.3: Transcription was last modified on Sat, 08 Aug 2026 17:13:14 GMT and is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jennifer Yeack.