Chapter 19 - 30 Vocab Terms

Question 1

Pre-mRNA

Answer 1

The nuclear transcript that is processed by modification and spacing to give an mRNA

Question 2

RNA splicing

Answer 2

The process of excising introns from RNA and connecting the exons into a continuous mRNA

Question 3

Heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA)

Answer 3

RNA that comprise transcripts of nuclear genes made by RNA polymerase II; it has a wide size distinct and low stability

Question 4

Heterogeneous nuclear RNP (hnRNP)

Answer 4

The ribonucleoprotein form of hnRNA (heterogeneous nuclear RNA), I’m which the hnRNA is complexed with proteins
Pre-mRNAs are not exported until processing is complete, thus they are found only in the nucleus

Question 5

The GU-AG or GT-AG rule

Answer 5

Describes the requirement for these constant dinucleotides at the first two and last two positions of introns in pre-mRNAs

Question 6

Small cytoplasmic RNAs (scRNA; scRNPs or scyrps)

Answer 6

RNAs that are present in the cytoplasm (and sometimes are also found in the nucleus)

Question 7

Small nuclear RNA (snRNA; snRNPs or snurps)

Answer 7

One of many small RNA species confined to the nucleus, several of them are involved in splicing or other RNA processing reactions

Question 8

Small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA)

Answer 8

A small nuclear RNA that is localized in the nucleolus

Question 9

Splicing factor

Answer 9

A protein component of the spliceosome that is not part of one of the snRNPs

Question 10

Transesterification

Answer 10

A reaction that breaks and makes chemical bonds in a coordinated transfer so that no energy is required

Question 11

Exon junction complex (EJC)

Answer 11

A protein complex that assembles at exon-exon junctions during splicing and assists in RNA transport, localization, and degradation.

Question 12

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD)

Answer 12

A pathway that degrades an mRNA that has a nonsense mutation prior to the last exon