Step 1: DNA Transcription

Protein synthesis begins in the cell's nucleus when the gene encoding a protein is copied into RNA. Genes, in the form of DNA, are embedded in in the cell's chromosomes. The process of transferring the gene's DNA into RNA is called transcription. Transcription helps to magnify the amount of DNA by creating many copies of RNA that can act as the template for protein synthesis. The RNA copy of the gene is called the mRNA.

DNA and RNA are both constructed by a chain of nucleotides. However, RNA differs from DNA by the substitution of uracil (U) for thymine (T). Also, because only one strand of mRNA is needed when synthesizing proteins, mRNA naturally exist in single-stranded forms.

After transcription, the mRNA is transported out of the cell's nucleus through nuclear pores to go to the site of translation, the rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Continue to the next stage: RNA Translation

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