Question

It is thought that, early in the history of life, RNAs not only stored information but acted as catalysts in cells. Which reaction is catalyzed by a ribozyme in present-day cells?

Answer 1

A ribozyme in present-day cells catalyzes the splicing of introns from pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) during RNA processing.

Step-by-step explanation:

In present-day cells, a reaction catalyzed by a ribozyme is the splicing of introns from pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) during RNA processing.

The splicing reaction involves removing the introns, which are non-coding regions of the pre-mRNA, and joining the exons, which are the coding regions, together to form the mature mRNA molecule.

This process is essential for generating functional mRNA transcripts that can be translated into proteins.