The process of transcription
Unwinding
In the transcription process, the RNA Polymerase transcribes the DNA message to the mRNA strand. Unwinding is a helicase that has to move unidirectionally along the DNA and couple translocation to local base pair separation.
The photo up above shows the process of the DNA strand unzipping. An unzipping of DNA breaks the hydrogen bonds due to the force relieving the torsional stress stored in a double helix.
The photo up above shows the complementary base pairing. A complementary base pairing is a phenomenon wherein DNA guanine always hydrogen bonds to cytosine and adenine always binds to thymine.
This photo up above represents the separation from DNA. The separation from the DNA is a protein known as helicase that attaches to and breaks apart the hydrogen bonds between the bases on the DNA strands, thereby pulling apart the two strands.
The two photos that is up above is the initiation. Initiation is the start of transcription is called initiation. It happens when the RNA polymerase enzyme interacts with the promoter, a section of a gene. In order for the enzyme to “read” the bases in one of the DNA strands, this tells the DNA to unwind. The enzyme is now prepared to create an mRNA strand with a complementary base sequence.
The photo up above is the elongation. The elongation is as RNA polymerase works along DNA, a controlled process called transcription elongation creates an RNA chain that is complementary to the template strand. Transcription initiation comes before transcription elongation, while transcription termination comes after it.
The photo up above termination. Termination Is when an RNA polymerase that is transcribing releases the DNA template and the developing RNA, transcription is said to have terminated. For the polymerase to be recycled and to stop improper transcription of genes downstream, termination is necessary.
Question A
Q; In what ways did your models accurately reflect the process?
A: The fact that my group and I were able to follow the process step by step while working on the models helped us comprehend it much more than if we had just looked at a model online. The cut-outs from the model made it easier to see how objects moved.
Q; In what ways did your model misrepresent the process?
A: Although models are incredibly useful, they do have some drawbacks. All the intricacies of the objects they represent cannot be included in models. Because online models are far more sophisticated than the paper model we were using, my colleagues and I were anxious when we looked up a step to be sure we were following the procedure correctly.
Q; what changes could be made to the modelling activities to make them better represent the actual process?
A: What I observed is that there are numerous ribosomes for an mRNA strand during translation, but there weren’t any during this activity. Models, in my opinion, are not the ideal approach to learning because they can cause one to overlook crucial information during protein synthesis.
Question B
Q; Models are commonly used to communicate scientific concepts to non-scientific audiences. Do you think this is an effective way to educate the public about science? Explain why or why not.
A: I personally think models are an effective way to learn. Models are practical learning aids for science that can be used to enhance explanations, spark conversation, make predictions, give visual representations of complex topics, and create mental models.
