Question

It is actually the component of a 30S ribosomal subunit that is responsible for recognition of a Shine-Dalgarno sequence on an mRNA. Which one of the sequences in the 16S rRNA would you predict is responsible for the interaction between a small subunit and mRNA?

Answer 1

The sequence in the 16S rRNA would be 3'UCCUCCA5'.

Step-by-step explanation:

In prokaryotes, the initiation process starts with the binding of small subunit and large subunit of ribosome on the ribosomal binding site present on mRNA. The ribosomal binding site in prokaryotes include initiation codon and an upstream sequence called Shine-Dalgarno sequence(5'AGGAGGU3').

So 16S rRNA which is the component of 30S rRNA have a complementary sequence for shine-Dalgarno sequence which is responsible for recognizing the shine-Dalgarno sequence on mRNA and binding of small subunit on the mRNA.

Therefore 3'UCCUCCA5' is the complementary sequence in the 16S rRNA which is responsible for the interaction between a small subunit and mRNA.