Lecture, chapter 6 - Transcription

DNA looping and interaction of general and specific transcription
factors with RNA polymerase in eukaryotic cells during transcription
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Today we finished chapter 6, on transcription.

We discussed how the RNA polymerase recognizes specific DNA sequences in the promoter of prokaryotic DNA, and how it forms a transcription bubble in order to read the template strand on the DNA and synthesize the RNA molecule. We commented how the terminator causes the formation of a hairpin in the RNA transcript that causes the RNA ploymerase to "fall off" the DNA.

We highlighted the differences in transcription between prokaryotes and eukaryotes:

• the use of three kinds of RNA polymerase (I, II, and III) for transcribing different kinds of genes
• the use of general and specific transcription factors
• the role of enhancer regions in aiding the transcription process
• the need for DNA looping and the use of a mediator complex for all the transcription factors to interact with the transcription apparatus

CLICK HERE to watch a good Youtube video on transcription, or HERE for a video from the Dolan DNA Learning Center!

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