How are bacteria able to change their patterns of protein synthesis so quickly in response to environmental changes?
A) mRNAs that are produced are short-lived and degraded within a few minutes of being synthesized.
B) mRNA have long lifespans, allowing the bacteria to use them many times for translation.
C) mRNA is stored for later use.
D) Operons are activated in the presence of transcription factors.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bacteria are able to quickly change their patterns of protein synthesis in response to environmental changes because mRNAs that are produced are short-lived and degraded within a few minutes of being synthesized. This means that bacteria can rapidly change the types of proteins they produce in response to different conditions, allowing them to adapt to their environment.

Answer: D
 Operons are groups of genes that are regulated together in response to environmental signals. When specific transcription factors bind to the promoter region of an operon, this can activate transcription of the genes within that operon. This allows bacteria to rapidly change their patterns of protein synthesis in response to environmental changes, as different operons can be activated or repressed depending on the conditions. However, this is not the only mechanism by which bacteria can quickly change their patterns of protein synthesis – the short lifespan of mRNAs is also an important factor.

How Are Bacteria Able to Change Their Patterns of Protein