Question

What are the 4 modifications pre-mRNA goes through to produce mature mRNA?

A) Splicing, capping, polyadenylation, editing
B) Polyadenylation, editing, translation, capping
C) Capping, translation, splicing, polyadenylation
D) Editing, splicing, polyadenylation, capping

Answer 1

The four stages of pre-mRNA processing to mature mRNA are capping, splicing, polyadenylation, and editing, with capping and polyadenylation offering protection from degradation and aiding in export and translation initiation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The four modifications pre-mRNA undergoes to produce mature mRNA are splicing, capping, polyadenylation, and editing. The correct sequence would be:

1. Capping: Where a 7-methylguanosine cap is added to the 5' end of the pre-mRNA.
2. Splicing: Introns are removed and exons are joined together.
3. Polyadenylation: A poly-A tail is added to the 3' end after transcription.
4. Editing (which is a less common modification): Changes to the RNA sequence that can alter the coding potential of the mRNA.

Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is A) Splicing, capping, polyadenylation, editing.