Question

Choose the transposable element which moves via an RNA intermediate?

• A. Insertion sequence
• B. Composite transposon
• C. Retrotransposon
• D. DNA transposon

Hint:

Types of transposable elements: \[ \boxed{ \begin{aligned} \text{DNA transposons} &\rightarrow \text{Cut-and-paste} \text{Retrotransposons} &\rightarrow \text{RNA intermediate (Copy-and-paste)} \end{aligned} } \]

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Recall the types of transposable elements. Transposable elements are classified into
• DNA transposons,
• Retrotransposons.

Step 2: Identify the element moving through an RNA intermediate. Retrotransposons first produce an RNA intermediate. The RNA is then converted back into DNA by \[ \boxed{\text{Reverse Transcriptase}.} \] Thus, retrotransposons move by a \[ \boxed{\text{copy-and-paste mechanism}.} \] Hence, \[ \boxed{\text{Retrotransposon}} \] is the correct answer. Therefore, \[ \boxed{(C)} \] is the correct answer.