[Campbell Biology P.429] According to Figure 18.15 and its accompanying text, what determine... | Practice Question

According to Figure 18.15 and its accompanying text, what determines whether a target mRNA is degraded or has its translation blocked by an miRNA-protein complex?

  • A: The specific type of protein associated with the miRNA.
  • B: The presence of a poly-A tail on the mRNA.
  • C: The degree of complementary base pairing between the miRNA and the target mRNA.
  • D: The cellular localization of the miRNA-protein complex.

Explanation

Figure 18.15 and its caption explicitly state that if the miRNA and mRNA bases are complementary all along their length, the mRNA is degraded. If the match is less complete, translation is blocked.