Transcription occurs in different cellular locations depending on the type of organism:
- In eukaryotic cells , transcription takes place in the nucleus , where the DNA is located. After transcription, the mRNA transcript is processed and then transported out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm for translation
- In prokaryotic cells , which lack a membrane-bound nucleus, transcription occurs directly in the cytoplasm. Here, transcription and translation can even occur simultaneously because both processes happen in the same compartment
Thus, transcription occurs in the nucleus in eukaryotes and in the cytoplasm in prokaryotes.
