True or false: Transcription and translation are coupled in bacteria, allowing rapid protein production.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not applicable
• D. Only in eukaryotes

Answer: (A)

In bacteria, transcription and translation occur together because there is no nuclear boundary between the processes. As RNA polymerase is still making the mRNA, ribosomes can immediately attach to the nascent transcript and begin translating. This setup lets cells produce proteins quickly, which is especially useful for rapid responses to environmental changes. In eukaryotes, transcription happens in the nucleus and the transcript undergoes processing, then must be exported to the cytoplasm before translation, so the two steps are not coupled. Hence the statement is true. The other options don’t fit: not applicable isn’t accurate, and “Only in eukaryotes” is incorrect since coupling happens in bacteria, not the other way around.