What is the process called when segments of DNA serve as templates to produce complementary RNA molecules?

What is the process called when segments of DNA serve as templates to produce complementary RNA molecules?

• A. Transcription
• B. Replication
• C. Translation
• D. Mutation

Answer: (A)

Transcription is the process by which segments of DNA serve as templates to synthesize complementary RNA molecules. During transcription, an RNA polymerase enzyme binds to a gene’s promoter, unwinds the DNA, and reads the template strand in the 3' to 5' direction while building the RNA strand from 5' to 3'. The resulting RNA is complementary to the DNA template and, in many cases, nearly identical to the DNA's coding strand except that uracil replaces thymine. This step is the first part of gene expression, converting the information in DNA into an RNA copy that can be used to make proteins. It’s distinct from replication (copying DNA to duplicate the genome) and translation (reading RNA to assemble proteins), and from mutation (a change in the DNA sequence). In eukaryotes, the initial RNA transcript is often processed further before becoming mature mRNA.

Transcription is the process by which segments of DNA serve as templates to synthesize complementary RNA molecules. During transcription, an RNA polymerase enzyme binds to a gene’s promoter, unwinds the DNA, and reads the template strand in the 3' to 5' direction while building the RNA strand from 5' to 3'. The resulting RNA is complementary to the DNA template and, in many cases, nearly identical to the DNA's coding strand except that uracil replaces thymine. This step is the first part of gene expression, converting the information in DNA into an RNA copy that can be used to make proteins. It’s distinct from replication (copying DNA to duplicate the genome) and translation (reading RNA to assemble proteins), and from mutation (a change in the DNA sequence). In eukaryotes, the initial RNA transcript is often processed further before becoming mature mRNA.