Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Eukaryotic transcription is more complex than prokaryotic transcription, involving post-transcriptional modifications of precursor transcripts before they are exported to the cytoplasm for translation.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In eukaryotes, RNA Polymerase II transcribes structural protein-coding genes.
The primary transcript synthesized is a long, precursor molecule called heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA), or pre-mRNA.
This hnRNA molecule contains alternating coding sequences (exons) and non-coding intervening sequences (introns).
Before this transcript can function as mature messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cytoplasm, it must undergo three major processing steps within the nucleus:
1. 5' Capping: Addition of a 7-methylguanosine cap to the 5' end.
2. 3' Polyadenylation: Cleavage and addition of a poly-A tail.
3. Splicing: Removal of non-coding introns and ligation of exons.
Only after completing these modifications is the molecule referred to as mature mRNA.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Hence, the immediate product of eukaryotic transcription of structural genes is hnRNA.