What direction is RNA synthesized?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking about the specific direction in which RNA is synthesized during the process of transcription. In general, RNA synthesis follows the base pairing rules and takes place in a 5' to 3' direction, meaning the RNA strand grows from the 5' end to the 3' end.

More Information

RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA by reading the DNA template strand in the 3' to 5' direction, which results in the RNA strand growing in the 5' to 3' direction.

Tips

A common mistake is to confuse the direction RNA is synthesized with the direction the DNA template strand is read, which is 3' to 5'.

Sources

• Central Dogma of Molecular Biology - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Replication, Transcription, and Translation - nature.com