Okuzeka
Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Gene Expression and Regulation

Transcription

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

/trænˈskrɪpʃən/nounCore term

In genetics & biotechnology, transcription means: The first step of gene expression, in which an enzyme called RNA polymerase copies the DNA sequence of a gene into a matching RNA molecule.

In Turkish: transkripsiyon, yazılım

How it is used

Used in molecular biology and gene regulation. Transcription starts at the promoter, and transcription factors can activate or repress it. People say a gene is 'actively transcribed' or 'transcriptionally silent'; the RNA product is called a transcript.

Example sentences

  1. This drug blocks transcription by binding to RNA polymerase.

  2. Heat shock rapidly switches on transcription of these genes.

Common collocations

  • initiate transcription
  • transcription start site
  • inhibit transcription
  • reverse transcription
  • translationThe process in which ribosomes read the codons of an mRNA molecule and join amino acids together in the right order to build a protein.
  • promoterA region of DNA just before a gene where RNA polymerase and transcription factors bind to start transcription.
  • transcription factorA protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, usually near a promoter, and switches the transcription of certain genes on or off.
  • mRNAMessenger RNA: the RNA copy of a gene that carries its instructions from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes, where the protein is made.
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein, and the level at which this happens in a cell.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: Gene Expression and Regulation

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: