mRNA is used during translation to form polypeptides. Describe how mRNA is produced in the nucleus of a cell. (6)

The first step in biology is always to make sure you understand and always use specialist biological terms - it's often said you almost learn more vocab in biology A level than you do in French, and if I had a penny for every time simply using the name of an enzyme got me a mark I would be a rich man! Here we must remember that mRNA stands for messenger RNA - i.e. the molecule that takes the information stored in the large molecules of DNA trapped in the nucleus and transmits the information from the nucleus to the protein making machinery outside of the cell. Now we need to find out how to get six marks in describing this process. Firstly think of key specialist vocabulary you might have learned relating to translation: Names of enzymes: DNA helicase, RNA polymerase Structure of DNA: Antiparallel structure, base pairing, template strand, sugar-phosphate backbone Chemical terms: condensation reaction, hydrogen bonding, catalysis.Now just make sure you use all of this vocab in your answer, e.g. DNA helicase unwinds the gene to be transcribed by breaking hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs. RNA nucleotides then associate with the exposed template strand using H-bonds, according to base pairing rules. RNA polymerase then comes and joins together these RNA nucleotides by catalysing a condensation reaction, forming a complete RNA polynucleotide with a sugar phosphate backbone.