A mutant bacterium is isolated.This bacterial strain has the characteristic of very slow,"sickly" growth.You isolate mRNA from this bacteria to use in an in vitro translation system and note that even in vitro it is difficult to use this message and obtain protein.Of the following,which is a likely explanation for these results?
A)There may be a mutation in the ShineDelgarno sequence of the DNA, resulting in a RNA that poorly binds the ribosome.
B)There may be a mutation in the ribosomal rRNA recognizing the ShineDelgarno sequence of the message.
C)This mutant may have altered tRNA molecules, such that the codon-anticodon interaction during translation is affected.
D)These bacteria may not manufacture enough translation factors for effective translation.
E)In this mutant, the ribosomal subunits may not associate well enough for effective translation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The slow growth and difficulty in obtaining protein in both in vivo and in vitro systems suggest that there is a problem with translation. The Shine-Dalgarno sequence of the mRNA is important for initiating translation by binding to the ribosome, so a mutation in this sequence could result in poor binding and inefficient translation. Therefore, option A is the best answer.

A Mutant Bacterium Is Isolated