Question

A scientist modified the structure of a promoter region of a gene. What could be its effect on transcription and translation?

Answer 1

DNA can never be translated directly into protein. DNA is in the nucleus while ribosomes are outside the nucleus and even if DNA and ribsomes magically came into contact, the DNA and ribosome do not have structures which could interact with each other. So option A is out without further ado. Promoters are non-coding regions of DNA which bind to gene specific transcription factors. Gene specific transcription factors are proteins which, once bound, modify the structure of DNA in such a way that certain nearby regions of the DNA assume a specific conformation. These nearby regions are docking sites for general transcription factors, which in turn are a scaffold for the transcriptional proteins like RNA polymerase. The question asks, what would happen if the promoter were changed. Which of the two remaining answers is most likely?