What are the two main steps involved in gene expression?

The correct answer is centered on the fundamental processes of gene expression, which are critical in the flow of genetic information within a cell. Transcription and translation are the two main steps involved in this process.

Transcription is the first step of gene expression, where the DNA sequence of a gene is copied to produce messenger RNA (mRNA). During transcription, the DNA unwinds, and RNA polymerase synthesizes a strand of mRNA using one of the DNA strands as a template. This mRNA strand then carries the genetic code from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where the next step occurs.

The second step, translation, involves the interpretation of the mRNA sequence into a polypeptide chain, which will eventually fold into a functional protein. During translation, ribosomes read the mRNA sequence in sets of three nucleotides (codons), and transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring the appropriate amino acids in sequence to build the protein according to the genetic instructions carried by the mRNA.

Understanding these two steps is essential, as they are foundational to molecular biology and illustrate how information encoded in DNA is expressed through proteins, which are crucial for numerous cellular functions. Other choices do not accurately reflect the two main steps of gene expression. Replication