Chapter 2 - Transcription, Translation, and Regulation of Eukaryotic DNA

Abstract

This chapter covers the three classes of genes in which genetic information is expressed, and how these classes function and relate. It goes on to discuss the mass of DNA within the genome previously regarded as functionless or “junk,” and the variety of cellular functions it has been discovered to perform. The processes of gene transcription and translation are described. The chapter goes on to discuss RNA surveillance and import and export from the nucleus. The mechanisms involved in regulating mRNA stability are covered, as is the folding of proteins and the importance of “chaperone” proteins as a catalyst. The chapter goes on to look at epigenetics and the importance of split genes and RNA splicing in the evolution of complex multicellular eukaryotic organisms.