Question

Which of the following is a useful feature of introns for this model?

A. Introns protect exon structure.
B. Each intron has enzymatic properties.
C. Introns allow exon shuffling.
D. They are translated into small polypeptides.
E. They become parts of snRNPs.

Answer 1

Introns have multiple functions, including allowing exon shuffling, gene regulation, and mRNA transport.

Step-by-step explanation:

Introns are non-coding regions that are present in the genes of eukaryotic organisms. While they do not code for functional polypeptides themselves, they have several important functions. One useful feature of introns is that they allow for exon shuffling, which is the process of rearranging exons during RNA splicing to create different combinations of exons in the final mRNA transcript. This can lead to the generation of multiple protein isoforms from a single gene. Introns also play a role in gene regulation and mRNA transport.