Transcription

Dr. Tapan Kr. Dutta

Panskura Banamali College
 RNA
(Ribonucleic Acid):
A Polymer of Ribonucleotides
Is a single-stranded molecule.
Has the sugar, ribose, which leads
to chemical instability.
Contains uracil instead of thymine.
CH3

Thymine (DNA)
(RNA)
 Complementarity

RNA ACGAGACUUGCGAAU
DNA TGCTCTGAACGCTTA
 Primary
Structure of RNA
Secondary Structure of RNA
In most prokaryotes (e.g. E. coli), the
transcript is the mRNA. Translation
begins even before synthesis of the
mRNA is completed.

In eukaryotes, the transcript is

modified to produce the final mRNA.
The mRNA is then transported to the
cytoplasm for translation.
Transcription
of
Ribosomal
RNA (rRNA)
 RNA Transcripts are
Complementary and Antiparallel to
the Template Strand of DNA
 RNA Polymerase
In most prokaryotes, a single RNA
polymerase transcribes all types of
RNA.
Eukaryotes have 3 RNA polymerases:
I transcribes large rRNA genes
II transcribes protein-encoding genes
III transcribes small RNAs (e.g. tRNA).
How does the RNA polymerase
know where a gene starts?
At the beginning of a gene, there is a
special nucleotide sequence called a
promoter.
The RNA polymerase binds to the
promoter to start transcription.
RNA polymerase needs no primer.
 How does the RNA polymerase
know which strand is the template?

Only the template strand has the

promoter sequence.
The other strand has the complement
of the promoter sequence.
How does the RNA polymerase
know where a gene ends?
In prokaryotes, there is a special
nucleotide sequence at the end of a
gene that causes the mRNA to form
a hairpin loop.
The RNA polymerase falls off of the
DNA after it encounters one of
these terminator signals.
 RNA Grows by Addition of
Ribonucleotides to its 3 end.
Transcription Movie
Bacterial Transcription
 Consensus Sequences

Consensus sequences sequences of

nucleotides that are similar in many
genes from many organisms. They are
thought to have been evolutionarily
conserved because they are important to
gene function.
 Consensus Sequences
Bacteria
TATAAT -10 region or Pribnow box
located 10 nucleotides
upsteam of the site of
transcription initiation
TTGACA -35 region
Strong promoters bind RNA
polymerase strongly. The gene produces
lots of RNA.
Weak promoters bind RNA
polymerase weakly. The gene produces
relatively low amounts of RNA.

A mutation in the promoter can have

major effects on gene expression.
 Prokaryotic Transcription

Template binding
s recognizes a promoter sequence
Promoter a series of nucleotides located
in the 5 region upstream from the
point of initial transcription of a gene.
 Prokaryotic Transcription and
Elongation
After core RNA
polymerase
binds to the
promoter with
the help of
sigma, the DNA
helix is locally
unwound
making the
template strand
accessible.
 Prokaryotic Transcription Termination
Rho-independent Terminators: Rho-dependent Terminators:
Eukaryotic Transcription
Bacterial Promoters:
NOT a TATA box

Pol II Promoters:
RNA Polymerase II Transcription

Note position of enhancer

(and silencer) sequences.
 Termination
Eukaryotic transcription is similar to that
of bacterial transcription in having the
three phases: initiation, elongation and
termination. Each of the three eukaryotic
RNA polymerases recognizes different
promoters and has a different mechanism
of transcription termination.