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DNA Transcription (Advanced Detail)

Topic

  • Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • DNA & RNA

Resource Type

  • Videos
  • Animations

Level

High School — AP/IBCollege

Duration

00:01:55
Used In
2 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
16 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This animation shows how RNA polymerase and other transcription factors interact to transcribe DNA into RNA.

DNA is copied into RNA in a process called genetic transcription. The process starts with transcription factors assembling on a region of a gene called a promoter. An enzyme called RNA polymerase travels along the DNA, unzipping its two strands. The molecule then copies one of the strands of DNA into a strand of RNA.

This animation brings the process to life, showing three-dimensional representations of the molecules involved. Depending on students’ backgrounds, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to identify the molecules and describe their interactions.

Key Terms

central dogma, gene expression, initiation, messenger RNA (mRNA), nucleotide, promoter, RNA polymerase, template, transcription factor

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

Video files meet criteria. Spanish files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 02.05.03
Date Updated 06.02.20

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1.A, HS-LS4.A

AP Biology (2019)

IST-1, IST-2

IB Biology (2016)

2.7, 7.2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC3

Materials

HD (M4V) 71 MB
HD (WMV) 58 MB
SD (M4V) 30 MB
SD (WMV) 29 MB
Transcript (PDF) 12 KB
Spanish Dub (Español) (MP4) 227 MB
Transcript - Español (PDF) 178 KB

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