In: Biology
Why is the sequence of the gene that codes the ribosomal small subunit so useful for microbial taxonomy?
Cells without a functional ribosome cannot survive
Ribosomal genes are often laterally transferred
All of these reasons are true
Cells without a functional ribosome cannot survive, and ribosomal gene sequences are highly conserved
Ribosomal gene sequences are highly conserved
Cells without a functional ribosome cannot survive, and ribosomal gene sequences are highly conserved.
(All cells contain small ribosomal subunit. It is necessary for an organism's survival, playing an important role in translation. Also, the gene contains conserved sequences. They are highly similar in distantly related organisms. Their function has been unchanged over time. Thus, they can be used to create phylogenetic tree. It is because of these reasons that small ribosomal subunit is extensively used in microbial taxonomy).