Protein Synthesis: Transcription

what is the meaning of protein synthesis?

the production of a chain of amino acids that form the primary structure of a protein

what are the 4 main stages of protein synthesis?

1. Transcription of the gene

2. Processing of the mRNA

3. Translation of the mRNA

4. Protein modification

what is the first step of transcription?

the relevant gene in the DNA in the nucleus is copied into a molecule of RNA called mRNA

how is the DNA unzipped? and by what enzyme?

DNA helicase unzips the hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases, breaking apart the 2 polynucleotide strands

what is the one strand that is used as a template called?

the antisene

what happens with the antisene strand?

free complementary RNA nucleotides base pair to the bases of the antisene, forming hydrogen bonds

what does the enzyme RNA polymerase do?

forms sugar-phosphate bonds between nucleotides

what are the 3 steps involved in restoring the DNA double helix after the mRNA strand is made?

1. mRNA detaches from the antisene strand

2. two DNA strands join together, forming hydrogen bonds through complimentary bases pairing

3. DNA molecules wind back up into a helix

what has to happen before transcription for it to work?

gene must be stimulated by a regulatory protein called the transcriptional factor