What is the process of making mRNA using DNA as a template called?

The process of making mRNA using DNA as a template is called transcription. During transcription, the DNA double helix unwinds, and one of the strands serves as a template for synthesizing a complementary RNA strand. RNA polymerase, the enzyme responsible for this process, binds to the DNA at a specific region known as the promoter. As it moves along the DNA strand, RNA polymerase assembles nucleotides into a single strand of messenger RNA (mRNA) that is complementary to the DNA template.

This newly formed mRNA strand carries the genetic information necessary for protein synthesis from the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. In contrast, translation refers to the process where the information in mRNA is used to synthesize proteins, replicating DNA involves copying the entire genome prior to cell division, and translocation refers to the movement of chromosomes during cell division or the movement of a segment of DNA to another location in the genome.