Hey guys!
I'm thinking that B is the correct answer, but doesn't the DNA that is going to be inserted into the vector complementary to the mRNA strand?
Would appreciate some help!
Which one of the following is the biggest challenge that must be overcome in order to get a bacterium like E. coli to make a human protein:
A The genetic code is different in humans than it is in bacteria.
B Bacteria can’t splice out introns
C The vector is often antibiotic resistant
D Bacterial promoters are palindromes
E It is impossible for bacteria to make human proteins
Hey there!
You're on the right track with your thinking! In order to answer this question correctly, we need to identify the challenge that needs to be overcome in getting a bacterium like E. coli to produce a human protein.
The correct answer is B) Bacteria can't splice out introns.
To understand why this is the case, let's break down the answer choices and eliminate the incorrect options:
A) The genetic code is different in humans than it is in bacteria.
While it's true that there are slight differences in the genetic code between humans and bacteria, this is not the biggest challenge in producing human proteins in bacteria since we can use genetic engineering techniques to introduce the human gene into the bacterium.
C) The vector is often antibiotic resistant.
Although the resistance of the vector to antibiotics can pose a challenge, it is not the primary obstacle in generating human proteins in bacteria. The resistance gene would generally be used to ensure that the bacterium takes up the vector containing the human gene.
D) Bacterial promoters are palindromes.
Bacterial promoters are specific DNA sequences that signal the start of transcription. While bacterial promoters have certain characteristics, such as consensus sequences, they are not palindromes. However, this is not the main challenge in making a bacterium produce human proteins.
E) It is impossible for bacteria to make human proteins.
This option is incorrect because bacteria can indeed be engineered to produce human proteins through a process called recombinant DNA technology. In fact, E. coli is one of the commonly used bacteria for this purpose.
Now, let's focus on option B) Bacteria can't splice out introns.
Introns are non-coding regions of DNA that are present in eukaryotic genes, including humans, but not in prokaryotes like bacteria. E. coli lacks the machinery to correctly process and remove introns. Therefore, if a human gene with introns is introduced into a bacterium like E. coli, it won't be able to effectively splice out the introns and produce the correct protein.
Hence, option B is the correct answer, and the biggest challenge in making a bacterium like E. coli produce a human protein is the inability of bacteria to splice out introns.
I hope this helps!