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Biology vocabulary · Genetics and Heredity

Transcription

Meaning in biology, with examples

/trænˈskrɪpʃən/nounCommon term

In biology, transcription means: The first step of gene expression, in which the DNA sequence of a gene is copied into a matching strand of RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase.

In Turkish: transkripsiyon, yazılım

How it is used

In eukaryotes it takes place in the nucleus; in prokaryotes, in the cytoplasm. Proteins called transcription factors switch it on or off. The verb is transcribe: a gene is transcribed into mRNA.

Example sentences

  1. Transcription begins when RNA polymerase binds to the promoter.

  2. This drug blocks transcription, so no new mRNA is made.

Common collocations

  • transcription factor
  • start of transcription
  • RNA polymerase
  • transcribed into mRNA
  • translationThe step of gene expression in which a ribosome reads the codons in messenger RNA and joins the matching amino acids together to build a protein.
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein. It includes transcription of DNA into RNA and translation of RNA into protein.
  • RNAShort for ribonucleic acid, a usually single-stranded molecule that carries genetic information from DNA and helps build proteins. It contains uracil instead of thymine.
  • DNAShort for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.
  • geneA section of DNA that carries the instructions for making a particular protein or functional RNA. Genes are the basic units of heredity passed from parents to offspring.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

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