Question

How is the process of transcription different in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

Answer 1

Some differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription are...

Explanation:

Prokaryotes
- transcription occurs in cytoplasm of cell (no nucleus)
- Very streamlined (no post-transcriptional processing of RNA)
- Promoter at: -10 TATAAT and -35 TTGACAT
- has initiation factors such as sigma factor
- recruits RNA polymerase

Eukaryotes
- transcription occurs in nucleus
- RNA is processed (cut, spliced, modified) in nucleus
- Exported to cytoplasm for protein translation
- Promoter at: -30 TATA (e.g.)
- Transcription factors (TF) – many different ones
- More complex than prokaryotic initiation
- pre-mRNA requires processing before it becomes a functional mature mRNA (unlike in prokaryotes)