RNA polymerase

RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the enzyme which does transcription.The 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Roger D. Kornberg for creating detailed molecular images of RNA polymerase during various stages of the transcription process.^[1]

With the help of some other molecules, it makes messenger RNA from a strand of a DNA. This is its main function, but it does various other things. Products of RNAP include:

• Messenger RNA (mRNA). These are templates for the synthesis of proteins by ribosomes.
• Non-coding RNA or "RNA genes". These are a broad class of genes that encode RNA which is not translated into protein. The most important RNA genes are transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA), both of which are involved in the process of translation. However, since the late 1990s, many new RNA genes have been found, and thus RNA genes may play a much more significant role than previously thought.
  • Transfer RNA (tRNA)—transfers specific amino acids to growing polypeptide chains at the ribosomal site of protein synthesis during translation
  • Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)—a component of ribosomes
  • Micro RNA—regulates gene activity
  • Catalytic RNA (Ribozyme)—enzymatically active RNA molecules

1. ↑ Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2006