Final answer:
The answer is true; knowing the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA allows one to deduce the original DNA sequence it was transcribed from by applying base pairing rules.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you know the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA, you can indeed deduce the DNA sequence it was transcribed from. The answer to the student's question is true. By understanding base pairing rules, where adenine (A) pairs with uracil (U) in RNA and thymine (T) in DNA, and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G), one can reverse-engineer the original DNA sequence from the mRNA sequence.
As an example, if an mRNA sequence is 5'-UGCCCAUUCC-3', the DNA sequence it was transcribed from would be 5'-ACGGGTAAGG-3'. It is essential to remember that in RNA, uracil (U) replaces thymine (T) found in DNA.
Transcription is the process where the genetic code from DNA is made into a complementary RNA strand, which includes mRNA. This mRNA then travels to the ribosome to guide the synthesis of protein through a process called translation. The codons in the mRNA dictate the sequence of amino acids in the protein.