Cells Are Often Ground Up with Abrasive to Get to Their

Multiple Choice

Cells are often ground up with abrasive to get to their internal enzymes/molecules, followed by removal of the abrasives. Here are three situations and three outcomes. What is the correct interpretation of the results? In situation #1, radioactive amino acids are added to cell material, and radioactive proteins are produced. In situation #2, radioactive amino acids, cell material, and the enzyme DNAse (degrades DNA) are added together. Radioactive proteins are still produced. In situation #3, the ground-up cell material is allowed to sit for 24 hours before radioactive amino acids and DNAse are added to it. No radioactive protein is produced. Interpretation?

A) RNA polymerase has no activity after 24 hours, so it is unable to transcribe any mRNA in the last scenario to be translated into radioactive proteins.
B) The radioactivity in the amino acids is altering/degrading the tRNA molecules, leading to no protein production in the last scenario.
C) Natural RNAses/DNAses present in the ground-up material will degrade any mRNA/DNA in that 24 hour interval. This will lead to no capability to transcribe genes/translate protein in the last scenario.
D) The results are not interpretable from the information given.