The process by which DNA inside human cells is converted into ribonucleic acid (RNA) in order to create genes and proteins is known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) transcription. When an enzyme called RNA polymerase unzips the double-stranded DNA molecule by breaking the bonds between connecting nucleotides, the molecules that make up DNA and RNA, DNA transcription occurs. RNA nucleotides join up with their complementary DNA nitrogenous bases to form a long strand of RNA once the DNA is unzipped. The RNA polymerase then aids in the formation of a sugar-phosphate backbone that connects all of the RNA bases. When the RNA strand is finished, it is released from the DNA molecule, and the transcription process is completed.
RNA is very similar to DNA, except that it is made up of a single strand rather than two. It also contains uracil, a nitrogen-based compound found in living tissue, which gives it a slightly different molecular structure. DNA, on the other hand, is made up of thymine, a nitrogen and carbon compound. DNA transcription is the process of transferring the code for a specific protein from DNA to RNA.
After DNA transcription, the process of DNA translation can be used to create a new protein. The newly formed RNA strand joins with complementary bases to form a code for producing a protein during translation. This code acts as a kind of instruction manual that ribosomes inside the cell can use to start assembling a protein.
DNA is made up of nucleotides, which are segments made up of a nitrogenous base, a sugar molecule, and a phosphate group. To form a double helix, these nucleotides connect and spiral around one another. DNA is made up of only four nitrogenous bases, and they can only connect in one way: adenine can only bind to guanine, and cytosine can only bind to thymine.
DNA is a genetic blueprint that contains all of the genetic material that distinguishes each individual. Genes play an important role in the DNA transcription process because they provide the instructions for making all of the proteins that allow a cell to function. The nucleus, or central part of the cell, is where DNA is found. The nucleus is the cell’s command and control center. Because every individual is made up of cells, DNA controls the structure and function of the body as a whole by controlling each cellular function.