Final answer:
The false statement is D) Sigma factors are parts of RNA polymerase that recognize promoter regions. Sigma factors are separate proteins that associate with the core RNA polymerase to initiate transcription but are not permanent parts of it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that is FALSE concerning transcription in bacteria is: D) Sigma factors are parts of RNA polymerase that recognize promoter regions. In prokaryotes like E. coli, the RNA polymerase holoenzyme indeed includes sigma (σ) factors, but they are not permanent parts of the RNA polymerase. The σ factor is a separate protein that associates with the core RNA polymerase to form the holoenzyme, and it directs the polymerase to specific promoter sequences to initiate transcription. Once initiation has occurred, the σ factor typically dissociates from the core polymerase.
Bacterial RNA polymerase involves a single RNA polymerase that is responsible for transcribing primer RNA, mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA. Termination of transcription can occur through two different mechanisms: self-induced (also known as rho-independent) or due to the presence of Rho protein (rho-dependent). Transcription indeed occurs in the nucleoid region of bacteria, which is the equivalent to the nucleus in eukaryotic cells, as they lack a membrane-bound nucleus. Finally, there are indeed a variety of sigma factors that affect transcription by enabling the RNA polymerase to bind to different sets of promoters, thus influencing which genes are transcribed under various environmental conditions.