Gene expression

Definition

Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional gene products, typically proteins, that determine cellular function. This process involves transcription (copying DNA to RNA) and translation (decoding RNA to form polypeptide chains).

Related terms

Transcription: The first step of gene expression where a segment of DNA is copied into RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase.

Translation: The process by which mRNA is decoded by ribosomes to produce a specific amino acid chain, or polypeptide, that will fold into an active protein.

mRNA (messenger RNA): A type of RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression