Final answer:
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is the specific mechanism that detects and degrades mRNA with premature termination codons to prevent the production of incomplete, potentially harmful proteins.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mechanism specifically designed for the detection and rapid degradation of mRNA containing premature termination codons is nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). NMD is a surveillance pathway that recognizes and degrades mRNAs containing nonsense codons before they can produce truncated and potentially harmful proteins. When ribosomes encounter a premature termination codon during the translation process, certain proteins bind to the mRNA and signal for its degradation to prevent the synthesis of incomplete proteins.
NMD is distinct from other RNA decay mechanisms such as no-go decay, which targets stalled ribosomes, and nonstop mRNA decay which degrades mRNAs lacking stop codons. RNA interference (RNAi) is another method of regulating gene expression by post-transcriptional silencing but does not specifically target premature termination codons. Transfer-messenger RNA mediated ribosomal removal (tmRNA) is a bacterial process that rescues ribosomes stuck on damaged mRNAs but doesn't directly relate to the degradation of mRNA with premature stop codons.