Transcription and Pre-mRNA Processing in Eukaryotes
Students will understand that DNA is the genetic material found in the nucleus of cells and carries instructions for an organism's traits.
Key Questions
- Explain the molecular events of transcription initiation, elongation, and termination in eukaryotes, including the roles of promoter sequences, general transcription factors, and RNA polymerase II in assembling the pre-initiation complex.
- Analyse the three co-transcriptional pre-mRNA processing events — 5′ 7-methylguanosine capping, 3′ polyadenylation, and spliceosome-mediated removal of introns — evaluating how each modification contributes to mRNA stability, nuclear export, and translational efficiency.
- Evaluate how alternative splicing of a single pre-mRNA can generate multiple protein isoforms with distinct functions from the same gene, using a specific biological example, and discuss how this mechanism contributes to proteome complexity beyond what gene number alone predicts.
MOE Syllabus Outcomes
Suggested Methodologies
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