In a Wild-Type Strain of Fruit Flies, the Length of a Gene

question 35

Multiple Choice

In a wild-type strain of fruit flies, the length of a gene from the start to the stop codon is 2,000 DNA bases. Suppose an experiment indicated that the mRNA molecule transcribed from this gene is much shorter (only 1,200 bases) . What is the most likely explanation for this?

• A) The first 800 bases of DNA are always cut out as it is transcribed into mRNA.
• B) A mutation caused the formation of an extra stop codon in the gene.
• C) There are introns in the DNA that were cut out of the mRNA.
• D) The mRNA was prematurely degraded.

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