Reverse transcriptase catalyses the production of
A - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 11 - 2004 - Paper 1
Question 11
Reverse transcriptase catalyses the production of
A. DNA from an mRNA template.
B. DNA from a protein template.
C. mRNA from a DNA template.
D. tRNA from a DNA templ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Reverse transcriptase catalyses the production of
A - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 11 - 2004 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. DNA from an mRNA template.
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Answer
Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme that synthesizes complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template. Hence, it specifically catalyzes the production of DNA from an mRNA template. This process is crucial in molecular biology, especially in the reverse transcription step for retroviruses like HIV.
Step 2
B. DNA from a protein template.
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Answer
This option is incorrect. Reverse transcriptase does not use a protein template to synthesize DNA; it exclusively uses RNA as its template.
Step 3
C. mRNA from a DNA template.
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Answer
This option describes the action of RNA polymerase, not reverse transcriptase. RNA polymerase synthesizes mRNA from a DNA template during transcription.
Step 4
D. tRNA from a DNA template.
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Answer
This option is also incorrect, as tRNA is not synthesized from DNA by reverse transcriptase. tRNA is produced via a different mechanism involving specific RNA polymerases.
