Gene Expression Lab
Gene Expression: Transcription & Translation Simulation
This gene expression simulation walks students through the central dogma of molecular biology, from the transcription of a DNA template strand into pre-mRNA, through RNA splicing to remove introns, to ribosomal translation of the mature mRNA into a polypeptide chain. Each step is animated at the molecular level so learners can see how codons specify amino acids and how the ribosome moves along the mRNA. The simulation also introduces gene regulation concepts, showing how transcription factors and promoter regions control when and how much protein is made.
What you can do in this simulation
- Watch RNA polymerase bind the promoter and synthesize a pre-mRNA transcript from the template strand
- Observe splicing of introns and joining of exons to produce mature mRNA
- Follow the ribosome reading codons, with tRNAs bringing matching amino acids to build a polypeptide
- Modify a single nucleotide to create a point mutation and see how it affects the amino acid sequence
- Explore how activator and repressor proteins regulate transcription by binding regulatory sequences
Concepts covered
transcription · translation · central dogma · mRNA splicing · gene regulation · protein synthesis
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