In: Biology
A researcher studying the effects of a certain pesticide on fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) in the lab found that it binds to the spliceosomes (the enzymes that cut/splice the initial RNA transcripts) and caused the spliceosome to be non-functional. What effect would this have on the gene expression of the fruit flies?
The gene arrangement in eukaryotes is split because the functional sequences are interrupted by the non-functional sequences. Fruit flies are also an eukaryote.
A process called splicing is used to remove non-coding sequences or introns present among the coding sequences or exons from the primary transcript of RNA.
The introns are cut and removed from primary transcript with the help of a complex called spliceosome and exons are joined together to make a mature RNA transcript for further expression of gene.
This processed RNA is used to produce a chain of amino acids linked with peptide bonds with the help of process translation on ribosomes in cytoplasm.
This process of synthesis of protein by reading the information stored in messenger RNA after completing splicing and transporting in the cytoplasm.
If a pesticide blocks the spliceosome complex then immature RNA transcript is produced and it blocks the further expression of gene. The translation process is blocked due to want of mature RNA transcript and synthesis of protein molecule does not take place in cytoplasm. The information of mRNA is not translated in the form of a protein or a chain of amino acids.