Transcription is the first step in gene expression. Information from a gene is used to construct a functional product. This could be something like a protein. The goal of transcription is to make a RNA copy of a gene’s DNA sequence. For a protein-coding gene, the RNA copy, also called the transcript, carries the information needed to build a polypeptide (protein or protein subunit). It occurs in the cytoplasm. There is no definite phase for it to take place in. A single RNA polymerase synthesizes all three types.