Binds to the DNA strand at a specific sequence of the gene called a promoter
Unwinds and unlinks the two strands of DNA
Uses one of the DNA strands as a guide or template
Matches new nucleotides with their complements on the DNA strand (G with C, A with U -- remember that RNA has uracil (U) instead of thymine (T))
Binds these new RNA nucleotides together to form a complementary copy of the DNA strand (mRNA)
Stops when it encounters a termination sequence of bases (stop codon)