The flow of genetic information described by the central dogma is DNA -> RNA -> Protein, via which processes?

• A. Replication and Translation
• B. Transcription and Translation
• C. Transcription and Replication
• D. Translation and Replication

Answer: (B)

The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein is achieved by transcription and translation. Transcription is the process where RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and synthesizes a complementary RNA molecule, providing an RNA copy of the gene. Translation is the ribosome-driven process that uses that RNA (usually mRNA) as a template to assemble the corresponding amino acids into a polypeptide. Replication, on the other hand, copies DNA itself for cell division and does not move information from DNA to RNA or protein, so it isn’t part of the active flow described by the central dogma.