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Genetically Modified Organisms
Chapter 10, Problem 1

List the order of nucleotides on the mRNA that would be transcribed from the following DNA sequence: CGATTACTTA.

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1
Identify the DNA sequence provided: CGATTACTTA.
Understand that during transcription, mRNA is synthesized using one of the DNA strands as a template. The mRNA nucleotides are complementary to the DNA nucleotides on the template strand.
Recall the base pairing rules for DNA to RNA transcription: Adenine (A) pairs with Uracil (U) in RNA, Thymine (T) pairs with Adenine (A), Cytosine (C) pairs with Guanine (G), and Guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C).
Apply the base pairing rules to each nucleotide in the DNA sequence. For example, if the first DNA nucleotide is C, the corresponding mRNA nucleotide will be G.
Write down the mRNA sequence that results from applying the base pairing rules to the entire DNA sequence.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Transcription

Transcription is the process by which the genetic information encoded in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA). During transcription, RNA polymerase binds to the DNA at a specific region and synthesizes a complementary RNA strand by pairing RNA nucleotides with the DNA template strand. This process is essential for gene expression, as it allows the information in DNA to be translated into proteins.
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1) Initiation of Transcription

Nucleotide Base Pairing

Nucleotide base pairing refers to the specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in nucleic acids. In DNA, adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G). However, during transcription, uracil (U) replaces thymine in RNA, so adenine pairs with uracil. Understanding this pairing is crucial for determining the sequence of mRNA transcribed from a given DNA template.
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mRNA Sequence Directionality

The directionality of mRNA synthesis is important to understand, as mRNA is synthesized in the 5' to 3' direction. This means that the RNA polymerase adds nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing mRNA strand. Consequently, when transcribing from a DNA template, the mRNA sequence will be complementary to the DNA template strand and will reflect the reverse order of the DNA's coding strand.
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