Difference Between Transcription and Translation

Transcription and translation are two terms in biology that are easily confused. This is mainly because of their similarity in form and sound. Here, we will discuss how transcription and translation are different from each other.

Transcription

Transcription is the formation of RNA from DNA. The DNA’s code is converted into a complementary RNA code to use in biochemistry. This process occurs within the nucleus in eukaryotes and the cytoplasm in prokaryotes. Out of four ribo-nucleoside triphosphate types, three kinds of RNAs are created. The four stages of translation are pre-initiation, initiation, elongation, and termination.

Translation

Translation is the process of synthesizing apolypeptide over ribosome from an mRNA template. 20 types of amino acids and all three types of RNAs are used in translation. Unlike transcription, translation does not require splicing. The proteins made out of translation is utilized for different cellular functions in the body.

	Transcription	Translation
Meaning	The formation of RNA from DNA	The synthesis of proteins using an mRNA template
Purpose	To create RNA copies of genes for the cell’s use in biochemistry	To synthesize proteins utilized for millions of cellular functions
Steps	Pre-initiation, initiation, elongation, termination	Activation, initiation, elongation, termination
Occurs in	Nucleus	Cytoplasm
Products created	mRNA, tRNA, rRNA and non-coding RNA	Proteins
Localization	Prokaryotes’ cytoplasm, eukaryote’s nucleus	Prokaryotes’ cytoplasm, eukaryotes’ ribosomes
Initiation stage	RNA polymerase binds to DNA’s promoter, then forms a transcription initiation complex	Ribosome subunits, t-RNA and initiation factors  bind the mRNA near the AUG start codon
Termination stage	The transcript is released, polymerase separates from DNA, and DNA rewinds into a double helix	As soon as the ribosome reaches the stop codons, the ribosome is disassembled, leading to the release of polypeptide

Venn Diagram