Question

SnRNAs ___________________.

1) are translated into snRNPs.
2) are important for producing mature mRNA transcripts in bacteria.
3) are removed by the spliceosome during RNA splicing.
4) can bind to specific sequences at intron-exon boundaries through complementary base-pairing.

Answer 1

snRNAs are essential for the splicing process in eukaryotic cells, where they bind to intron-exon boundaries to facilitate the removal of introns and joining of exons, thus contributing to the production of mature mRNA transcripts for protein synthesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) play a critical role in the post-transcriptional processing of pre-mRNA in eukaryotic cells. They are components of the spliceosome machinery that facilitates RNA splicing, which involves the precision removal of non-coding sequences called introns and the ligation of coding sequences known as exons. Specifically, snRNAs can bind to specific sequences at intron-exon boundaries through complementary base-pairing and are essential for producing mature mRNA transcripts that are then exported from the nucleus to be translated into proteins.

It is important to note that while snRNAs are integral to the splicing process, they themselves are not translated into proteins but combine with proteins to form small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs). snRNPs then join together to form the spliceosome responsible for the excision of introns from pre-mRNA. The accurate splicing is vital for producing correctly sequenced mRNA, which then leads to proper protein synthesis, illustrating the importance of snRNAs in cell biology.