Question

Attenuator systems such as the one described for regulation of tryptophan synthesis would be just as likely to occur in eukaryotes as in prokaryotes.

1) True
2) False

Answer 1

The statement is false; attenuator systems are more characteristic of prokaryotes due to their ability to undergo co-transcriptional translation, while eukaryotes regulate gene expression using different mechanisms due to separate cellular compartments for transcription and translation.

Step-by-step explanation:

Attenuator systems, such as those used for the regulation of tryptophan synthesis in prokaryotes, are not as likely to be found in eukaryotes. In prokaryotes, gene expression can be regulated at the level of transcription by mechanism including attenuation, which is closely linked to their ability to perform co-transcriptional translation due to the absence of a nuclear membrane.

Eukaryotes, however, compartmentalize transcription and translation, with transcription occurring in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm, and therefore do not employ attenuation in the same way. Instead, eukaryotes utilize transcription factors, activators, and repressors, as well as other mechanisms such as mRNA processing, export, and degradation to control gene expression.