Question 1

What happens to mRNA after being released from DNA, but before leaving the nucleus, in eukaryotes?

Accepted Answer

It is "touched up", with a guanine cap on the 5' end to protect it, and a polyadenine tail on the 3' end to help it move

(only happens in eukaryotes, not prokaryotes)

Question 2

What are introns and exons?

Accepted Answer

Introns are nucleotide sequences in RNA and DNA that do not directly code for proteins and are removed (intervening sequences)

Exons are nucleotide sequences in RNA and DNA that directly code for proteins (expressing sequences)

Question 3

What is RNA splicing?

Accepted Answer

A process where certain introns are cut out of the mRNA and the remaining exons are glued back together

(a bit strange that introns are not used, but there is a theory that cutting out different introns allow the organism to make different proteins from the same gene)

RNA Processing, AP Biology Flashcards