Final answer:
Eukaryotic transcription is distinct from bacterial transcription mainly due to the presence of introns in eukaryotic genes which requires additional RNA processing steps like splicing. Eukaryotic cells also use different RNA polymerases for different types of RNA, unlike prokaryotes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The feature that most distinctly separates eukaryotic transcription from bacterial transcription is the presence of introns in eukaryotic genes and their corresponding RNA transcripts. During transcription in eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II synthesizes a precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) that includes both exons (coding regions) and introns (non-coding regions). These introns are subsequently removed during RNA processing to produce the mature mRNA. In contrast, bacterial genes typically do not contain introns, so their RNA transcripts do not require this additional processing step.
It's also important to note that RNA processing in eukaryotes includes several complex steps such as the addition of a 5' cap and a poly-A tail, as well as splicing to remove introns. Moreover, eukaryotes use multiple RNA polymerases (I, II, and III) for the transcription of different types of RNA, which is in contrast to prokaryotes that use a single type of RNA polymerase for all RNA transcription.