What is the process of copying the DNA sequence in a gene into mRNA called?

The process of copying the DNA sequence in a gene into mRNA is called transcription. During transcription, the enzyme RNA polymerase binds to a specific section of the DNA where the gene is located and unwinds the DNA strands. This allows the RNA polymerase to read the nucleotide sequence of the gene and synthesize a complementary strand of messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA molecule is an exact copy of the gene's coding sequence, but with uracil (U) replacing thymine (T), which is found in DNA.

Transcription is a crucial step in the gene expression pathway, as it is the first step that leads to the synthesis of proteins, with the mRNA being translated into a protein during the subsequent translation process. This fundamental mechanism enables the genetic code stored in DNA to be expressed as functional proteins within the cell. Understanding this process is vital to comprehending how genes function and regulate biological processes.