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Q.Describe in brief the steps of Initiation phase of Transcription.

West Bengal WbchseWest Bengal HS (WBCHSE) Board 2019Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Initiation of transcription = RNA polymerase, aided by an initiation factor, recognises and binds the promoter, the DNA unwinds, and the first ribonucleotides are polymerised on the template strand to start the RNA chain.

Transcription (synthesis of RNA on a DNA template) has three phases — initiation, elongation and termination. The initiation phase involves:

  1. Recognition of the promoter: The promoter is a specific DNA sequence located upstream (towards the 5' end) of the gene's coding region. It signals where transcription should begin and on which strand.
  2. Binding of RNA polymerase: RNA polymerase associates with an initiation factor — the sigma (σ) factor in prokaryotes (or general transcription factors in eukaryotes) — which enables the enzyme to recognise and bind tightly to the promoter, forming the transcription initiation complex.
  3. Local unwinding of DNA: At the binding site the DNA double helix unwinds, separating the two strands and exposing the template (antisense) strand (3'→5'). …

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