This image illustrates the process of gene transcription within a cell. The DNA double helix unwinds to expose a specific sequence, allowing RNA polymerase to synthesize a complementary pre-mRNA ...

Life's instructions are written in DNA, but it is the enzyme RNA polymerase II (Pol II) that reads the script, transcribing RNA in eukaryotic cells and eventually giving rise to proteins. Scientists ...

Enzymes called RNA polymerases transcribe DNA into RNA. RNA is the intermediary that carries the information contained within DNA to the ribosomes, where the genetic information is synthesized into ...

When the molecular machinery in our cells gets to work transcribing the genetic information encoded in DNA into messenger RNA (mRNA), it pauses shortly after starting. Known as promoter-proximal ...

A detailed picture of what happens when DNA transcription is paused early in the process has been obtained by structural biologists at RIKEN. This could inform the development of new therapies.

DNA and RNA methylation, initially thought to operate as distinct pathways, have been shown to interact closely, shifting our understanding of gene regulation. A team of researchers from the ...

There are only about 20,000 different genes in the human genome, yet our bodies are filled with an incredible diversity of cell types performing innumerable functions. The key to that diversity in ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. In 1957, just four years after Francis Crick and other scientists solved the riddle of ...