RNA nucleotides align themselves to complementary base pairs on the ________ and form ________.

RNA nucleotides align themselves to complementary base pairs on the ________ and form ________.

• A. RNA nucleotides align to the DNA template to form messenger RNA
• B. Proteins align to the DNA template to form ribosomal RNA
• C. RNA nucleotides align to the RNA template to form mRNA
• D. DNA nucleotides align to the DNA template to form tRNA

Answer: (A)

Transcription is the process where RNA nucleotides pair with the DNA template strand to build a new RNA molecule. RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and synthesizes mRNA in the 5' to 3' direction, using complementary base pairing (A with U, T with A, C with G, G with C). The result is messenger RNA, which is complementary to the DNA template and similar in sequence to the DNA coding strand (except U instead of T). So the statement describing RNA nucleotides pairing with the DNA template to form messenger RNA correctly captures what happens.

Transcription is the process where RNA nucleotides pair with the DNA template strand to build a new RNA molecule. RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and synthesizes mRNA in the 5' to 3' direction, using complementary base pairing (A with U, T with A, C with G, G with C). The result is messenger RNA, which is complementary to the DNA template and similar in sequence to the DNA coding strand (except U instead of T). So the statement describing RNA nucleotides pairing with the DNA template to form messenger RNA correctly captures what happens.