A strain of bacteria possesses a temperature‑sensitive mutation in the gene that encodes the rho subunit. At high temperatures, rho is not functional. When these bacteria are raised at elevated temperatures, what would you expect to observe?

a. All RNA molecules are shorter than normal because the absence of functional rho would derail the transcription.
b. Transcription does not take place because mutant rho would interfere with the RNA polymerase binding to the template.
c. Some RNA molecules would be longer than normal because these RNA came from the gene with rho-dependent terminator.
d. Some RNA molecules would be normal length because not every terminator in bacterial genes would be rho-dependent.
e. All RNA molecules are longer than normal because the absence of functional rho means the transcription continues beyond the proper termination point.

Rho is a prokaryotic protein which is required at the end of transcription (termination) of dependent rho-terminator sequences. During transcription, Rho binds at the end of the single-stranded RNA sequence in a site known as 'transcription terminator pause site'. This factor has helicase activity dependent on the hydrolysis of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to ADP. The Rho binding site consists of a cytosine-rich region (∼ 70 nucleotides) that lacks RNA secondary structure.