1. What is DNA to mRNA Conversion?

The process of converting DNA to mRNA is called transcription. During transcription, thymine (T) in DNA is replaced by uracil (U) in mRNA, while other bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine) remain the same.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator performs a simple string replacement:

Where:

• DNA — Input DNA sequence (A, T, C, G)
• mRNA — Output mRNA sequence (A, U, C, G)

Explanation: The calculator converts each thymine (T) in the DNA sequence to uracil (U) to produce the mRNA sequence.

3. Importance of Transcription

Details: Transcription is the first step of gene expression, where a DNA sequence is copied into mRNA that can then be translated into proteins. This process is fundamental to all living organisms.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter a valid DNA sequence containing only A, T, C, G characters (case insensitive). The calculator will automatically convert to uppercase and replace all T's with U's.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why does mRNA use U instead of T?
A: Uracil is used in RNA because it's more stable than thymine for single-stranded molecules and requires less energy to produce.

Q2: Does the calculator handle reverse complement?
A: No, this calculator only performs T→U conversion. For reverse complement DNA→mRNA, additional processing would be needed.

Q3: What about non-coding strands?
A: This calculator assumes you're entering the coding (template) strand. For the non-coding strand, you would need to take the reverse complement first.

Q4: Can I use this for whole genomes?
A: Technically yes, but very long sequences might cause performance issues in the browser.

Q5: Does it preserve sequence formatting?
A: The calculator preserves line breaks and spacing from the original input while performing the conversion.