Chapter 12 - Introduction

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To fully appreciate this tutorial, you should be familiar with the concepts of:
• DNA structure
• DNA replication

After this tutorial, you will be able to describe:
• Transcription
• Translation
• Gene expression

RNA and protein synthesis: How is genetic information expressed?

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Gene expression
Transcription
Posttranscriptional modification in eukaryotes
Translation and tRNA
Translation and ribosomes
Summary

Gene expression is the process by which DNA is able to affect the phenotype of an organism; it is accomplished by a complex series of events. During gene expression, the information contained in DNA is used to detail the makeup of the proteins in the cell, which in turn influence phenotype. The mechanism by which information encoded in DNA is used to specify the sequences of amino acids in proteins involves two processes: transcription and translation.