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Transcription Process

Transcription is the first step of gene expression where DNA is copied into RNA. It involves three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination. Initiation begins when RNA polymerase binds to the promoter region of DNA and forms a transcription bubble. Elongation then occurs as RNA polymerase moves along the template strand of DNA adding complementary RNA nucleotides. Termination happens when the polymerase encounters a terminator sequence and stops transcribing, releasing the completed RNA transcript. There are two main types of termination in bacteria, Rho-dependent and Rho-independent.

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Arya Chaphekar
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86 views

Transcription Process

Transcription is the first step of gene expression where DNA is copied into RNA. It involves three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination. Initiation begins when RNA polymerase binds to the promoter region of DNA and forms a transcription bubble. Elongation then occurs as RNA polymerase moves along the template strand of DNA adding complementary RNA nucleotides. Termination happens when the polymerase encounters a terminator sequence and stops transcribing, releasing the completed RNA transcript. There are two main types of termination in bacteria, Rho-dependent and Rho-independent.

Uploaded by

Arya Chaphekar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TRANSCRIPTION

Transcription is the first step of gene expression. During this process, the DNA
sequence of a gene is copied into RNA.

Before transcription can take place, the DNA double helix must unwind near the
gene that is getting transcribed. The region of opened-up DNA is called
a transcription bubble. Transcription uses one of the two exposed DNA
strands as a template; this strand is called the template strand. The RNA
product is complementary to the template strand and is almost identical to
the other DNA strand, called the nontemplate (or coding) strand.
However, there is one important difference: in the newly made RNA, all of
the T nucleotides are replaced with U nucleotides.

The site on the DNA from which the first RNA nucleotide is transcribed is
called the +1+1plus, 1 site, or the initiation site. Nucleotides that come
before the initiation site are given negative numbers and said to
be upstream. Nucleotides that come after the initiation site are marked
with positive numbers and said to be downstream.

If the gene that's transcribed encodes a protein (which many genes do), the
RNA molecule will be read to make a protein in a process
called translation.

1. Transcription initiation
To begin transcribing a gene, RNA polymerase binds to the DNA of the
gene at a region called the promoter. Basically, the promoter tells the
polymerase where to "sit down" on the DNA and begin transcribing. Each
gene (or, in bacteria, each group of genes transcribed together) has
its own promoter. A promoter contains DNA sequences that let RNA
polymerase or its helper proteins attach to the DNA. Once the
transcription bubble has formed, the polymerase can start
transcribing. A typical bacterial promoter contains two important DNA
sequences, the 10 and 35 elements.

RNA polymerase recognizes and binds directly to these sequences. The


sequences position the polymerase in the right spot to start transcribing a
target gene, and they also make sure it's pointing in the right direction.
Once the RNA polymerase has bound, it can open up the DNA and get to
work. DNA opening occurs at the 101010 element, where the strands are
easy to separate due to the many As and Ts .

The 10 and the 35 elements get their names because they come 35
and 10 nucleotides before the initiation site (+1+1plus, 1 in the
DNA). The minus signs just mean that they are before, not after, the
initiation site.

Elongation
Once RNA polymerase is in position at the promoter, the next step of
transcription—elongation—can begin. Basically, elongation is the stage
when the RNA strand gets longer, thanks to the addition of new
nucleotides.

During elongation, RNA polymerase "walks" along one strand of DNA,


known as the template strand, in the 3' to 5' direction. For each
nucleotide in the template, RNA polymerase adds a matching
(complementary) RNA nucleotide to the 3' end of the RNA strand. The
RNA transcript is nearly identical to the non-template, or coding, strand
of DNA. However, RNA strands have the base uracil (U) in place of
thymine (T), as well as a slightly different sugar in the nucleotide. So, as
we can see in the diagram above, each T of the coding strand is replaced
with a U in the RNA transcript.
Transcription termination
RNA polymerase will keep transcribing until it gets signals to stop. The
process of ending transcription is called termination, and it happens once
the polymerase transcribes a sequence of DNA known as a terminator.

Termination in bacteria
There are two major termination strategies found in bacteria: Rho-
dependent and Rho-independent.

In Rho-dependent termination, the RNA contains a binding site for a


protein called Rho factor. Rho factor binds to this sequence and starts
"climbing" up the transcript towards RNA polymerase.

Rho-dependent termination. The terminator is a region of DNA that


includes the sequence that codes for the Rho binding site in the mRNA, as
well as the actual transcription stop point (which is a sequence that causes
the RNA polymerase to pause so that Rho can catch up to it). Rho binds to
the Rho binding site in the mRNA and climbs up the RNA transcript, in
the 5' to 3' direction, towards the transcription bubble where the
polymerase is. When it catches up to the polymerase, it will cause the
transcript to be released, ending transcription.

When it catches up with the polymerase at the transcription bubble, Rho


pulls the RNA transcript and the template DNA strand apart, releasing the
RNA molecule and ending transcription. Another sequence found later in
the DNA, called the transcription stop point, causes RNA polymerase to
pause and thus helps Rho catch up.^44start superscript, 4, end superscript

Rho-independent termination depends on specific sequences in the DNA


template strand. As the RNA polymerase approaches the end of the gene
being transcribed, it hits a region rich in C and G nucleotides. The RNA
transcribed from this region folds back on itself, and the complementary C
and G nucleotides bind together. The result is a stable hairpin that causes
the polymerase to stall.

Rho-independent termination. The terminator DNA sequence encodes a


region of RNA that folds back on itself to form a hairpin. The hairpin is
followed by a series of U nucleotides in the RNA (not pictured). The
hairpin causes the polymerase to stall, and the weak base pairing between
the A nucleotides of the DNA template and the U nucleotides of the RNA
transcript allows the transcript to separate from the template, ending
transcription.

In a terminator, the hairpin is followed by a stretch of U nucleotides in the


RNA, which match up with A nucleotides in the template DNA. The
complementary U-A region of the RNA transcript forms only a weak
interaction with the template DNA. This, coupled with the stalled
polymerase, produces enough instability for the enzyme to fall off and
liberate the new RNA transcript.

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