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In the mechanism of transcription attenuation of the trp operon, the stalling of the ribosome at region 1 of the leader sequence inhibits the formation of the terminator structure.

a. true
b. false

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The statement regarding ribosome stalling at region 1 inhibiting the formation of the terminator structure is false; the stalling actually allows the formation of an antiterminator loop that facilitates transcription continuation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mechanism of transcription attenuation in the trp operon is false as it relates to the stalling of the ribosome at region 1.

When tryptophan levels are low, this stalling allows for the formation of an antiterminator loop between regions 2 and 3, which prevents the formation of the terminator stem-loop structure, therefore allowing RNA polymerase to continue transcribing the structural genes.

In contrast, when tryptophan is plentiful, the ribosome does not stall at region 1. As such, the terminator loop between regions 3 and 4 is able to form, which leads to the termination of transcription.

Essentially, the transcription attenuation mechanism responds to the cellular tryptophan levels and adjusts the expression of the trp operon accordingly.

This is a fundamental regulatory mechanism in prokaryotes, used to conserve resources and adjust gene expression in response to metabolic needs.

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