Which statement correctly contrasts transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

• A. In prokaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus; In prokaryotes, transcription occurs in the cytoplasm and transcripts are monocistronic.
• B. In prokaryotes, transcription occurs in the cytoplasm and transcripts are monocistronic; In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm.
• C. In prokaryotes, transcription occurs in the cytoplasm and transcripts can be polycistronic; In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus and translation occurs in the cytoplasm.
• D. In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus and translation occurs in the cytoplasm; In prokaryotes, transcription and translation occur simultaneously.

Answer: (C)

Transcription location and how many genes are read per transcript differ between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Prokaryotes lack a nucleus, so transcription happens in the cytoplasm, and their mRNA is often polycistronic—one mRNA can encode several different proteins from an operon. Eukaryotes, on the other hand, compartmentalize transcription in the nucleus, and their mature mRNA is typically monocistronic, with translation occurring in the cytoplasm after the mRNA is exported.

That aligns with the statement: prokaryotes transcribe in the cytoplasm and can have polycistronic transcripts, while eukaryotes transcribe in the nucleus and translation occurs in the cytoplasm.

The other options are less accurate for contrasting these systems. One wrongly places prokaryotic transcription in the nucleus; another claims monocistronic transcripts in prokaryotes; another notes simultaneous transcription and translation in prokaryotes but doesn’t capture the key differences in transcription location and transcript organization.