Table of Contents
What happens if there is an error in RNA transcription?
However, errors that occur during transcription and translation can also have substantial effects on gene function by producing misfolded and malfunctioning proteins. Therefore, a single transcription error can result in many flawed proteins, whereas a translation error will disrupt only a single protein.
How does RNA polymerase correct errors?
Most of the mistakes during DNA replication are promptly corrected by DNA polymerase which proofreads the base that has just been added. The polymerase checks whether the newly-added base has paired correctly with the base in the template strand. If it is the correct base, the next nucleotide is added.
Is there proofreading in RNA transcription?
All nucleic acid polymerases insert incorrect nucleotides during chain elongation. This high rate of mutation comes from the lack of proofreading ability in RNA polymerases. These enzymes make mistakes, but they can’t correct them. Therefore the mutations remain in the newly synthesized RNA.
Can RNA polymerase correct its own mistakes?
Recent study asserts that RNA polymerase makes mistakes when copying genes but knows how to find and fix them. Such errors occur roughly once every 1,000 bases, but RNAP’s remarkable self-correcting mechanism manages to catch most of them.
What is the error rate for RNA transcription?
In contrast, RNA polymerases are expected to make one error every 300,000 bases (10).
Can mRNA make mistakes?
These mistakes are rare, but because cells make thousands of mRNAs, a single human cell can make 10-100 transcription errors per second. For example, errors in specific parts of the mRNA can alter how the whole instruction is edited later, while others might make only a tiny change to the protein encoded by the gene.
Why Errors in RNA synthesis are not as carefully monitored as in DNA synthesis?
Why is RNA synthesis not as carefully monitored for errors as is DNA synthesis? An error will only affect one molecule of mRNA of many synthesized from a gene. At any given instant, only a fraction of the genome (total DNA) is being transcribed. Consequently, speed is not necessary.
Why can a higher rate of errors be tolerated in RNA synthesis than DNA synthesis?
Why can this high rate be tolerated in RNA synthesis but not in DNA synthesis? Errors in transcription can be tolerated because many copies of each RNA are made; if a few have errors, there are enough perfect ones to overcome any problem.