Transcription is the first process of protein synthesis and it involves copying the information encoded in the genetic material (DNA) to a RNA molecule. It involves making a complementary strand of mRNA from a DNA template.
The process of transcription commences when an enzyme called RNA polymerase binds to the promoter region of a gene on the DNA, signalling the unwinding of its double-stranded structure. The RNA polymerase then adds nucleotides to the growing RNA molecule, complementary to the ones it reads on the DNA. The RNA synthesized during transcription is called messenger RNA (mRNA).
The mRNA is then used as a template for amino acids synthesis during translation.
