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In a pulse-chase procedure, if the chase is longer, which statement below correctly describes the location of the radioactively labeled proteins in the cell?

1) closer to the synthesis site
2) farther from the nucleus
3) farther from the synthesis site
4) closer to the nucleus
5) farther from the mitochondria

User Idaho
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Final answer:

In a pulse-chase experiment with a longer chase, radioactively labeled proteins will be located farther from the synthesis site and closer to their functional destinations within the cell.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a pulse-chase procedure, the location of radioactively labeled proteins within the cell can be tracked. Initially, during the pulse, radioactive amino acids are incorporated into newly synthesized proteins. Afterward, during the chase period, the radiolabeled proteins move within the cell. If the chase is longer, the labeled proteins are expected to be farther from the synthesis site.

This is because proteins undergo various post-translational modifications and are transported to their final destination, based on oligopeptide traffic signals encoded in their structure. As for the provided options, the correct one would be that with a longer chase, the proteins would be closer to their functional sites, which can be within the nucleus, in other organelles like mitochondria, or various other locations within the cell, depending on the specific function of the proteins.

User Bias
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