Lam, Nikolas A.

Professor Puentes
BSC 1005
July 24, 2014
Transcription and Translation
An important process in biology is the transcription and translation of genetic base pairs. This
process is rather quick, yet is very complex. Transcription occurs first, and then is followed by
translation. The key players in transcription are DNA, RNA polymerase, and mRNA.
Transcription is taking place in the nucleus, and then translation occurs in the cytoplasm.
Transcription occurs when there is one strand of DNA which is copied to make RNA. Then, the
strand of RNA is taken by the mRNA to the ribosomes located in the cytoplasm, where
translation will take place. DNA and RNA have similar structure, which allow them to continue
their protein synthesis. Thanks to their chemical similarity, DNA and RNA can engage in base
pairing, and this base pairing is how RNA chains are synthesized. The enzyme complex RNA
polymerase undertakes two tasks in transcription: It unwinds the DNA sequence to be
transcribed, and it brings together RNA nucleotides with their complementary DNA nucleotides,
thus producing an RNA chain. The transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules link up with amino acids on
the one hand and mRNA codons on the other, thus forming a chemical bridge between the two
kinds of molecules in protein synthesis. They also transfer amino acids to ribosomes. Translation
is a very complicated process that requires many key components. These key components
include mRNA, tRNA, ribosomes, and amino acids. Translation is a very quick process, yet
takes longer than transcription. Translation starts with a small ribosomal unit linking with the
RNA strand, and then a larger subunit is connected to make one big ribosomal unit. The amino
acids connect to make a polypeptide chain that connects to the E, the P, and the A sites located
on the ribosomal unit. There is a chain that follows for a while. Transcription and translation
occur to create the genetic flow that is contained in our DNA today.