Before we answer this question, let us understand what is an mRNA. mRNA stands for messenger RNA. This is a type of single-stranded RNA molecule carring genetic codes from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. The genetic codes then are used to produce protein. mRNA is produced from a DNA template during the process of transcription; it has sequences of three nucleotides that specify the amino acids in a protein. mRNA also has untranslated regions at both ends, which are involved in the regulation of mRNA stability, translation, and localizationhttps://www.britannica.com/science/messenger-RNA.
mRNA plays an important role in protein synthesis, the main function of genes. It is very interesting to note that different types of mRNA can be produced from the same gene by a process called alternative splicing.
Now lets understand “What is wrong with the following piece of mRNA taccaggatcactttgcca?”
mRNA sequence does not contain T which stands for Thymine. The given protein sequence starts with T and there are some more Ts also in the subsequent parttaccaggatcactttgcca” contains T(thymine) which is only found in the DNA. As it is an mRNA( Messenger RNA) sequence it should contain:
- nitrogenous bases adenine (A),
- cytosine (C),
- guanine (G),
- and uracil (U)
To convert this DNA sequence to an mRNA sequence, replace all the “T” with “U”.
So, the correct sequence will be uaccaggaucacuuugcca.
Check out the common multiple-choice question about this fact:
What is wrong with the following piece of mRNA taccaggatcactttgcca?
1. It contains a
2. It does not include an equal number of As and Ts.
3. It does not include an equal number of Gs and Cs.
4. It contains T and not U
Answer: The right answer is 4 as the sequence contains T and not U. mRNA can not have a T(thymine) in its sequence.
