DNA transcription is the process by which genetic information in DNA is used to synthesize a complementary RNA molecule.
During transcription, the DNA double helix is unwound and one of the strands is used as a template to synthesize a complementary RNA molecule. The RNA molecule is synthesized by the enzyme RNA polymerase, which reads the template DNA strand and adds complementary RNA nucleotides one by one to the growing RNA chain.
The RNA polymerase enzyme recognizes a specific sequence of DNA called a promoter, which signals the start of a gene. The RNA polymerase binds to the promoter and begins transcribing the DNA sequence into RNA. The RNA molecule that is synthesized during transcription is complementary to the template DNA strand and identical in sequence to the other DNA strand, with the exception of replacing thymine (T) with uracil (U).
Once the RNA molecule is synthesized, it detaches from the DNA template strand and the DNA double helix reforms. The newly synthesized RNA molecule can then go on to perform a variety of functions, including acting as a template for protein synthesis (translation) or functioning as a regulatory molecule in gene expression.
Treating Cancer Using DNA Transcription:
there are many types of cancer treatments that involve targeting the DNA of cancer cells. These treatments include:
- Chemotherapy: Many chemotherapy drugs work by targeting the DNA of cancer cells, either by preventing DNA from being replicated or by damaging the DNA, which leads to cell death.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to damage the DNA of cancer cells, causing them to die.
- Targeted therapy: Some targeted therapies work by targeting specific molecules that are involved in the growth and division of cancer cells, including molecules involved in DNA replication and repair.
- Immunotherapy: Some types of immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors, work by activating the immune system to attack cancer cells that have mutations in their DNA.
- Gene therapy: Gene therapy involves modifying a patient’s own DNA or adding new DNA to cells in order to treat or cure disease. There is ongoing research into using gene therapy to treat cancer, but it is not yet widely available.
Overall, while there are no clinics in the USA or Europe that we know of using DNA directly as a treatment for cancer, we have several genetic transcription treatments that involve targeting the DNA of cancer cells in order to destroy them or prevent them from growing and dividing.