Question

The Factor VIII gene is 186,000 nucleotides long, and the Factor VIII protein is only 2332 amino acids long. This size discrepancy is due to introns that interrupt the gene. During the synthesis of Factor VIII, the cell first transcribes the entire gene, then cuts the introns out of the transcript and splices the remaining pieces.

Recombinant DNA technology allows scientists to mass-produce some human proteins by transferring human genes into bacteria. The characteristic of bacteria that would most likely prevent Factor VIII from being produced in this way is that bacteria:
A. are too small to incorporate the Factor VIII gene.
B. possess no equivalent to the human X chromosome.
C. lack a membrane-bound nucleus.
D. lack a mechanism for splicing out introns.

Answer 1

Bacteria lack a mechanism for splicing out introns, which prevents the production of Factor VIII using recombinant DNA technology.

Step-by-step explanation:

The characteristic of bacteria that would most likely prevent Factor VIII from being produced using recombinant DNA technology is that bacteria lack a mechanism for splicing out introns.

In eukaryotic genes, introns are non-translated sequences that interrupt the coding sequences called exons. During the synthesis of Factor VIII, the cell cuts the introns out of the transcript and splices together the exons to produce the mature mRNA. Bacteria, however, lack the machinery required for splicing out introns, which is necessary for the correct synthesis of Factor VIII protein.

Therefore, the correct answer is D. Bacteria lack a mechanism for splicing out introns.