Foundation
Biology Foundation
Heredity And Variation
Question

During transcription, if the nucleotide sequence of the DNA strand that is being coded is ATACG, the nucleotide sequence in mRNA would be:

TATGC

UATGC

TCTGG

UAUGC

JEE Advance
College PredictorLive

Know your College Admission Chances Based on your Rank/Percentile, Category and Home State.

Get your JEE Main Personalised Report with Top Predicted Colleges in JoSA

Solution

Concept: Transcription and mRNA Nucleotide Sequence

Transcription is the process where a DNA sequence is copied into mRNA (messenger RNA). In this process, RNA nucleotides pair with the DNA template strand following base pairing rules. The key rule to remember is that in RNA, uracil (U) replaces thymine (T) and pairs with adenine (A).

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Step 1: Identify the DNA template strand. The given strand is ATACG. This is the strand being transcribed (template strand).

Step 2: Recall the base pairing rules for transcription:

  • DNA adenine (A) pairs with RNA uracil (U)
  • DNA thymine (T) pairs with RNA adenine (A)
  • DNA cytosine (C) pairs with RNA guanine (G)
  • DNA guanine (G) pairs with RNA cytosine (C)

Step 3: Transcribe each nucleotide one by one:

  • DNA A → RNA U
  • DNA T → RNA A
  • DNA A → RNA U
  • DNA C → RNA G
  • DNA G → RNA C

Step 4: Write the mRNA sequence: U-A-U-G-C

Final Answer: The nucleotide sequence in mRNA would be UAUGC which corresponds to option: UAUGC

Related Topics:

  • Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: Describes the flow of genetic information: DNA → RNA → Protein.
  • Translation: The process where mRNA is decoded by ribosomes to synthesize proteins.
  • Genetic Code: The set of rules by which information encoded in mRNA sequences is converted into amino acids during protein synthesis.

Important Formulae and Rules:

Transcription Base Pairing Rules:

DNA Template → mRNA

AU

TA

CG

GC