Transcription and Gene Control

Transcription and gene control explain how cells make RNA from DNA and decide which genes are active. RNA polymerase copies a DNA sequence into RNA, and this is the first step in making a protein from a gene. Many other proteins and control sequences help make messenger RNA, or mRNA, correctly.

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Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template.

Inside the nucleus, transcription begins at a gene, a specific region of DNA that serves as the template for RNA synthesis.

At the beginning of a gene is the core promoter, a regulatory DNA region that includes conserved motifs such as the TATA box. General transcr...