Question

If you were designing a method to specifically inhibit prokaryotic transcription, but not eukaryotic transcription, interfering with which of the following would work best?
A) an intercalating agent
B) recognition of the prokaryotic promoter by RNA polymerase
C) DNase activity
D) RNA polymerase II activity
E) ribosomal binding to mRNA

Answer 1

The correct answer is: B) recognition of the prokaryotic promoter by RNA polymerase

The similarities between prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcription are that DNA is template used for the mRNA synthesis and that this is process is facilitated by the enzyme RNA polymerase.  

One of the difference between this process in eukaryotes and in prokaryotes is the promoter region: eukaryotes contain TATA box and CAT box, while prokaryotes don’t (they have  Pribnow box that is similar to the TATA box). Promoter region in prokaryotes is always upstream to the start site, while in eukaryotes it can be downstream.