Question

In an experimental situation, a student researcher inserts an mRNA molecule into the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell after she has removed its 5' cap and poly-A tail. Which of the following would you expect her to find?

a) The mRNA attaches to a ribosome and is translated, but more slowly.

b) The cell adds a new poly-A tail

c) The mRNA is quickly spliced into an mRNA containing a 5

Answer 1

The mRNA would most likely be degraded by nucleases in the cell cytoplasm

Step-by-step explanation:

The 5'cap on an mRNA strand is necessary to bind ribosomes when the mRNA is being transcribed it also:

1. Prevents degradation from nucleases present inside the cell

The poly-A tail helps to:

1. Move the mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm
2. Prevents degradation from cellular enzymes
3. Provides a place for protein binding during translation

Without the cap and tail the mRNA is just a free ranging strand of nucleotides that the cell will try to clean up.