What happens during transcription and translation?

Transcription and translation are two processes that occur in the central dogma of molecular biology. Transcription is the process of making an RNA copy of a DNA sequence, while translation is the process of synthesizing a protein using the information encoded in the RNA sequence.

During transcription, the DNA double helix is unwound, and one of the DNA strands is used as a template to synthesize a complementary RNA strand. The RNA polymerase enzyme reads the DNA template strand and adds RNA nucleotides that are complementary to the DNA template strand. The RNA molecule that is produced during transcription is a single-stranded molecule that contains the same genetic information as the DNA template strand, except that thymine (T) is replaced by uracil (U).

After transcription, the RNA molecule is processed and modified before it can be used as a template for protein synthesis. This includes the removal of introns (non-coding regions) and the addition of a cap and tail to the RNA molecule.

During translation, the processed RNA molecule (mRNA) is used to synthesize a protein. Translation occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and involves ribosomes, tRNA molecules, and amino acids. The ribosome reads the mRNA sequence and matches it to a specific set of three nucleotides, called a codon. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid. The tRNA molecule carries the corresponding amino acid to the ribosome, where it is added to the growing protein chain. This process continues until the ribosome reaches a stop codon, at which point the protein is released.

Overall, transcription and translation are critical processes that allow genetic information encoded in DNA to be converted into functional proteins that carry out a wide variety of biological functions in living organisms.