Which types of RNA can be produced by transcription?

Which types of RNA can be produced by transcription?

• A. mRNA only
• B. tRNA only
• C. rRNA only
• D. mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA

Answer: (D)

Transcription makes RNA from a DNA template, and all the major RNA types that participate in gene expression are produced this way: messenger RNA, which carries the genetic code to the ribosome; transfer RNA, which brings amino acids and helps translate codons; and ribosomal RNA, which forms the structural and catalytic core of the ribosome. In cells, these RNAs are generated by dedicated polymerases (for example, in eukaryotes, mRNA comes from RNA polymerase II, tRNA from RNA polymerase III, and most rRNA from RNA polymerase I), and they then undergo processing to become mature functional molecules. So transcription is capable of producing mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA, not just one type.

Transcription makes RNA from a DNA template, and all the major RNA types that participate in gene expression are produced this way: messenger RNA, which carries the genetic code to the ribosome; transfer RNA, which brings amino acids and helps translate codons; and ribosomal RNA, which forms the structural and catalytic core of the ribosome. In cells, these RNAs are generated by dedicated polymerases (for example, in eukaryotes, mRNA comes from RNA polymerase II, tRNA from RNA polymerase III, and most rRNA from RNA polymerase I), and they then undergo processing to become mature functional molecules. So transcription is capable of producing mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA, not just one type.