Transcription & Translation MCAT Practice Question
A mutation in the sequence encoding the anticodon loop of a transfer RNA results in a tRNA that can no longer bind to the elongation factor EF-Tu (in prokaryotes) or eEF1A (in eukaryotes). Cells expressing this mutant tRNA would most likely experience which phenotype?
Answer choices
- APremature termination of translation due to stop codon read-through
- BEnhanced binding to the ribosome's A site due to compensatory conformational changes
- CIncreased fidelity in codon-anticodon recognition during the decoding step
- DFailure of this tRNA to participate in elongation, resulting in incomplete protein synthesisCorrect answer
- EActivation of nonsense-mediated decay pathways targeting mRNAs coding for affected proteins
- FIncreased aminoacylation of the tRNA due to direct access of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to the acceptor stem
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