DNA to Protein

Before starting, recall that A pairs with T in DNA and C pairs with G. DNA and RNA are different molecules. RNA usually has U in place of T. A gene is a DNA region whose information can be used to make a functional product; not every gene codes for a protein. For a protein-coding gene, transcription builds RNA from a DNA template. In the simplified model here, RNA pairs A with U, T with A, C with G, and G with C. RNA is made in the 5′ to 3′ direction while the template is read in the opposite direction. The coding DNA strand matches the RNA sequence except that DNA has T where RNA has U.