Transcription and RNA Processing
Transcription and RNA Processing
Transcription and RNA Processing
The RNA molecule will be complementary to the DNA template (antisense) strand and identical to the DNA nontemplate (sense) strand (except that uridine replaces thymidine). RNA synthesis is catalyzed by RNA polymerases and proceeds in the 5 3 direction.
Template: This strand provides the pattern for transcription. (antisense) Nontemplate: This strand is the original message thats actually being transcribed (sense).
The transcription unit is made up of promoter, gene, and terminator. The presence of TATA tells the transcription-starting enzyme that the gene to transcribe is about 30 to 50 base pairs away and also locates the template strand..
Stages of Transcription
The early stages of transcription in prokaryotes, showing the components of the process.
The early stages of transcription in prokaryotes, showing template binding at the -10 site involving the subunit of RNA polymerase and subsequent initiation of RNA synthesis.
The early stages of transcription in prokaryotes, showing chain elongation, after the subunit has dissociated from the transcription complex and the enzyme moves along the DNA template.
Elongation
2. Rho-dependent termination - uses a termination factor called factor (rho factor) which is a protein to stop RNA synthesis at specific sites. Rho protein binds at a rho utilisation site on the RNA strand and runs along the mRNA towards the RNAP. A stem loop structure upstream of the terminator region pauses the RNAP, when -factor reaches the RNAP, it causes RNAP to dissociate from the DNA, terminating transcription.
Transcription in Eukaryotes
Three different enzymes catalyze transcription in eukaryotes, and the resulting RNA transcripts undergo three important modifications, including the excision of noncoding sequences called introns. The nucleotide sequenced of some RNA transcripts are modified posttranscriptionally by RNA editing.
RNA Editing
Usually the genetic information is not altered in the mRNA intermediary. Sometimes RNA editing changes the information content of genes by
Changing the structures of individual bases Inserting or deleting uridine monophosphate residues.
Introns
Introns (or intervening sequences) are noncoding sequences located between coding sequences. Introns are removed from the pre-mRNA and are not present in the mRNA. Exons (both coding and noncoding sequences) are composed of the sequences that remain in the mature mRNA after splicing. Introns are variable in size and may be very large.
Splicing mechanism of pre-rRNA involving group I introns that are removed from the initial transcript. The process is one of self-excision involving two transesterification reactions.
Introns can be spliced out leaving all the exons in their original order, or introns and exons can be spliced out to create a new sequence of exons (also called alternative splicing). Alternative splicing results in the possibility for one gene to be expressed in different ways.