What process occurs during the elongation stage of transcription?

During the elongation stage of transcription, the primary event is the synthesis of an mRNA strand. This involves the RNA polymerase enzyme moving along the DNA template strand, adding RNA nucleotides that are complementary to the DNA template. As RNA polymerase travels along the DNA, it unwinds the double helix, allowing the template strand to be accessible. The nucleotides are joined via phosphodiester bonds, resulting in the formation of a growing chain of mRNA.

This process continues until a termination signal is reached, at which point the RNA polymerase enzyme releases the newly synthesized mRNA molecule. Therefore, the key outcome of elongation is the creation of a complete mRNA strand that carries the genetic information from the DNA, which will later be translated into a protein. Understanding this mechanism is fundamental to molecular biology and the central dogma of genetics.