At transcription initiation, rna processing, protein synthesis, protein modifications, protein transport, and protein degradation (some motherfuckers try dick) Examining gene expression by identifying mrna products: if i think that a specific gene plays a role in the embryonic development of a fruit fly, i can identify which embryonic cell expresses the gene. These slides are called dna chips: relevance: using dna sequences as probes to see if specific genes are transcribed. Can also use these genes to determine if they are expressed in a specific manner: currently: microarrays can currently contain 100,000 oligionucleotides (short fragments of nucleic acids) with each one representing a different gene! Once isolated, mrna serve as templates to make complementary cdna molecules to the mrna, and a specific reverse transcriptase enzyme is utilized. Process: during reverse transcription process, fluorescent nucleotides become part of the newly synthesized cdna molecule. The cdna isolated from both cell types are marked in a different colour.