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Multiple Choice
What is the role of Dicer in RNA-induced gene silencing?
A
Dicer cleaves double-stranded RNA into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
B
Dicer phosphorylates RNA molecules to activate them.
C
Dicer binds to mRNA to prevent its translation.
D
Dicer integrates siRNAs into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC).
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the concept of RNA-induced gene silencing: This is a biological process where RNA molecules inhibit gene expression or translation by neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules.
Learn about Dicer: Dicer is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. It is responsible for processing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
Explore the function of Dicer: Dicer cleaves long dsRNA molecules into siRNAs, which are typically 21-25 nucleotides in length. This cleavage is essential for the formation of siRNAs that guide the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to target specific mRNA for degradation.
Clarify the role of siRNAs: Once produced by Dicer, siRNAs are incorporated into the RISC. The siRNA-RISC complex then binds to complementary mRNA sequences, leading to mRNA cleavage and subsequent gene silencing.
Distinguish between the options: The correct role of Dicer is to cleave dsRNA into siRNAs, not to phosphorylate RNA, bind directly to mRNA, or integrate siRNAs into RISC. Its primary function is the generation of siRNAs from dsRNA.