Question

In 2016, scientists published the genome of Monocercomonoides and demonstrated that this organism has no detectable mitochondrial genes. However, its genome was arranged in linear chromosomes wrapped around histones which are contained within the nucleus. Monocercomonoides is therefore a(n) _________.

a) Prokaryote
b) Archaea
c) Protist
d) Fungus

Answer 1

Monocercomonoides is a protist because it has linear chromosomes wrapped around histones within a nucleus, unlike prokaryotic cells, which have a single circular chromosome without a nucleus or histones.

Step-by-step explanation:

In 2016, scientists discovered that the organism Monocercomonoides has a genome organized in linear chromosomes that are wrapped around histone proteins within a nucleus, but it lacks detectable mitochondrial genes. Considering these characteristics, Monocercomonoides is therefore classified as a protist. Prokaryotic cells, which include bacteria and archaea, generally have a single circular chromosome and lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Their genetic material is located in a region called the nucleoid, and they do not utilize histone proteins to organize their DNA. Eukaryotes, on the other hand, have linear chromosomes wrapped around histones, and their genetic material is contained within a membrane-bound nucleus, which is the case with Monocercomonoides. Hence, the correct answer to the student's question is c) Protist.