Name _______________________________________
Section 8.4: Transcription
Date __________________
Main Ideas:
 There are three types of RNA, each with a specific function
 RNA carries DNA’s instructions in the production of proteins
 Transcription is similar to replication
Vocabulary:
 Central Dogma
 RNA
 Transcription
 RNA polymerase



Messenger RNA (mRNA)
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
Transfer RNA (tRNA)
At the completion of this section, you should be will know the difference in structure between DNA and
RNA, the roles of the three types of RNA and be able explain how DNA’s message is relayed to the
ribosomes.
Remember Francis Crick (with James Watson) who figured out the structure of DNA. Years later, he figured
out how DNA relays its message to the cell to produce proteins. This is the Central Dogma.
1. Discuss what is meant by the Central Dogma.
2. Identify the 3 processes involved in Crick’s Central Dogma.
a.
b.
c.
3. Where do all of the above occur in a prokaryotic cell? __________________________________
4. Where does replication and transcription occur in eukaryotic cells? _______________________
5. Where does translation occur in eukaryotic cells? _________________________
DNA contains the instructions (a gene) to make a particular protein but it is too large to get its message out
to the ribosomes itself or to get the amino acids from the cytoplasm to make the proteins. It needs helpers.
These helper nucleic acids are RNA.
6. Identify 3 ways RNA differs from DNA
a.
b.
c.
7.
What is transcription?
8.
What is the enzyme involved in the transcription of a DNA gene to mRNA? __________________
9.
I am going to have you do some transcribing of a DNA gene. To make it easier, I am only going to
show you one strand of the DNA where the gene is located. You will need to transcribe the gene of DNA into
mRNA. Remember to compliment DNA to make mRNA using the base pairing rules (but whenever you want
to put in a thymine, replace it with uracil). Ex: If DNA is: GGG AAA TTT CCC
mRNA is: CCC UUU AAA GGG
DNA:
TAC CAT GAC CGC GGT GTA TTA ATT
mRNA: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
10.
Give the roles of the 3 types of RNA
a. Messenger RNA (mRNA)
b. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
c. Transfer RNA (tRNA)
RNA nucleotide
mRNA
Strand containing the gene