Chapter 9
Transcription: DNA to RNA
![What is Gene Expression?](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12555.jpg)
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is comprised of nucleotides and proteins…
![RNA Structure](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12556.jpg)
The basic structure of RNA consists of a string of ribonucleotides attached by phosphodiester bonds. Although most RNA is single-stranded, it can…
![Transcription](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12558.jpg)
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence.…
![Bacterial RNA Polymerase](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11579.jpg)
Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct…
![General Transcription Factors](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12561.jpg)
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component…
![RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11584.jpg)
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by…
![Pre-mRNA Processing: Modification of pre-mRNA Ends](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/12564.jpg)
In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor…
![RNA Splicing](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/10802.jpg)
Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is…
![Alternative RNA Splicing](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11622.jpg)
Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in…
![Nuclear Export of mRNA](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11589.jpg)
Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several…
![Ribosomal RNA Synthesis](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11590.jpg)
Ribosome synthesis is a highly complex and coordinated process involving more than 200 assembly factors. The synthesis and processing of ribosomal…
![The Nucleolus](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/media/science-education/science-education-thumbs/11592.jpg)
The nucleolus is the most prominent substructure of the nucleus. When it was first discovered, it was considered to be an isolated organelle that…
![Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/thumbs/58222_t.png)
Regulation of chromatin compaction is an important process that governs gene expression in higher eukaryotes. Although chromatin compaction and gene…
![Quantitative Analysis of Alternative Pre-mRNA Splicing in Mouse Brain Sections Using RNA <em>In Situ</em> Hybridization Assay](https://cloudfront.jove.com/files/thumbs/57889_t.png)
Alternative splicing (AS) occurs in more than 90% of human genes. The expression pattern of an alternatively spliced exon is often regulated in a…