3. Control of Gene Expression - Translation of DNA into RNA

Question 1

1. What does RNA polymerase do as it winds along the DNA?

Answer 1

It unwinds the double helix

Question 2

2. What does complementary base pairing match?

Answer 2

RNA nucleotides to the double helix
DNA:RNA (A:U, T:A, G:C, C:G)
ensures that the RNA molecule has a copy of the code

Question 3

3. What is the primary transcript synthesised by?

Answer 3

RNA polymerase bonding RNA nucleotides to the ribose (3’) end of the forming RNA strand (it forms a covalent bond between the phosphate of the nucleotide being added and the ribose of the 3’ end of RNA)

Question 4

4. What are introns?

Answer 4

non-coding regions of genes which are removed during RNA splicing

Question 5

5. What are exons?

Answer 5

Coding regions of DNA which are joined together to form the mature transcript