Compare and Contrast: Replication, Transcription, Translation

	Initiation	Elongation	Termination
Replication	Enzymes involved: Helicase unwinds the DNA strands. Single-strand binding proteins (SSBP) keeps the two untwisted strands separate, and protects it from damage. Gyrase releases the tension and cut the DNA. Primase, an enzyme that codes for RNA (primer) kicks starts the elongation process.	DNA polymerase III helps catalyze, and is responsible for the elongation of new DNA strand from 5 prime to 3 prime. Two daughter strands are replicated simultaneously. The leading strand elongates into the fork, the lagging strands grows away from the fork. Each segment on the lagging strand is called an Okazaki fragment.	DNA polymerase I is responsible for proof reading the replicated sequence and replacing RNA with DNA. Ligase acts as the glue at the end of the replication process and joins the fragments of DNA together.
Transcription	The upstream of the template DNA strand contains the promoter, which signals the start of transcription. The promoter region contains transcription factors, which recognizes the TATA box which initiates the transcription process. The transcription factors (TF), TATA box, and RNA polymerase II forms the initiation complex.	RNA polymerase II is responsible for the elongation portion of the transcription process. RNA polymerase II untwist the double helicase of DNA, reads the DNA sequence from the template and transcribe it into a RNA strand with corresponding sequences, and lastly it joins the DNA back together.	Once the RNA polymerase II encounters the TTATT sequence on the antisense DNA strand the transcription will come to an end with the formation of the AAUAA sequence on the RNA transcript. Around 50-250 adenine nucleotides are added to the pre-mRNA, the poly (A) tail. A modified guanine is added to the front of the sequence, called the 5, cap which protects the RNA sequence. A large portion of the RNA transcript is cut from the strand, the introns which have little function. The remaining sequences are called the exons. This process is called RNA splicing.
Translation	At the start of the translation process tRNA or transfer RNA reads the codon from the mRNA and forms the anticodon. Each anticodon consists of three bases. The last base on the anticodon is usually flexible, for example UAC and UAU could code for the same amino acid. This reduces the effect of small errors along the translation process.	The first codon that is recognized and translated is AUG; this is the universal starting codon. After the starting codon is read the ribosome reads the codons 3 bases at once and forms a polypeptide chain with the correct amino acid sequence.	The ribosome will encounter three stop codons, which do not code for amino acids. These three codons are UGA, UAG, and UAA. A protein called the release factor will help with the release of the polypeptide chain once the translation has come to a halt.