AQA A2 Biology Transcription & Translation

I was revising transcription/translation and I got a bit confused about the whole transcriptional factor/primer/ribosomes side of it all.

Are transcriptional factors involved in transcription alone? And then the only other things needed for transcription are DNA helicase (to break the DNA H-bonds) and RNA polymerase to form the mRNA?

Then in translation, does the primer attach to the specific/complementary base sequence, then the ribosome attaches to the primer. Then the ribosome is used to guide the tRNA molecules?

Any help would be much appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Eloades11

Original post by KayleighLouise

Yep transcription factors are involved in only regulating transcription. DNA helicase isn't involved in transcription, RNA pol II does the unwinding and synthesis of mRNA.

Sort of, tRNA molecules can recognise the codon with it's anti-codon region. The tRNA (carrying the cognate amino acid) is guided to the mRNA:ribosomal complex where initiation/elongation of translation is carried out. The ribosome carries out the rest using different tRNAs with different anti-codons/amino acids.