[Campbell Biology P.1003] Which statement accurately describes a step in the antiviral defens... | Practice Question
Which statement accurately describes a step in the antiviral defense mechanism shown in Figure 43.3?
A: The Dicer-2 enzyme directly targets and cleaves single-stranded viral mRNA.
B: The Argo protein complex is responsible for cleaving double-stranded viral RNA into fragments.
C: Double-stranded viral RNA, not normally found in host cells, serves as a recognition signal for the host defense.
D: After Dicer-2 action, the resulting RNA fragments are immediately degraded without further processing.
Explanation
Figure 43.3 and the accompanying text explain that the double-stranded viral RNA, which is not typical in host cells, is recognized by the host enzyme Dicer-2, initiating the defense pathway.