What is the primary function of transcription in cellular biology?

Transcription plays a crucial role in cellular biology as it is the process through which genetic information encoded in DNA is transferred to messenger RNA (mRNA). During transcription, RNA polymerase binds to a specific region of the DNA and synthesizes an RNA strand complementary to the DNA template. This mRNA strand serves as a template for the synthesis of proteins during translation. The process of transcription is essential for gene expression, as it allows the genetic code stored in DNA to be utilized for building proteins, which are vital for various cellular functions.

This process is distinct from others mentioned, such as protein synthesis from amino acids, which occurs during translation, and DNA replication, which occurs before cell division to ensure that each new cell receives an identical copy of the DNA. Transporting tRNA to ribosomes is related to the translation phase as well, where tRNA molecules bring the appropriate amino acids to the ribosomes to build proteins based on the sequence of codons in the mRNA.