Question

Messenger RNAs containing premature stop codons are destroyed by the mechanism of

A) nonstop decay.
B) directed RNase activity.
C) nonsense-mediated decay.
D) error-mediated repair.
E) None of these mechanisms.

Answer 1

Nonsense-mediated decay is the mechanism that destroys messenger RNAs containing premature stop codons to prevent the production of non-functional proteins.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mechanism responsible for destroying messenger RNAs containing premature stop codons is called nonsense-mediated decay (C). This process helps to prevent the production of non-functional or truncated proteins. When a premature stop codon is encountered during translation, the mRNA molecule is recognized and degraded, ensuring that only functional proteins are synthesized.