Which of the following statements are correct?
(i) RNA polymerase I transcribes rRNAs.
(ii) RNA polymerase II transcibes snRNAs.
(iii) RNA polymerase III transcibes hnRNA,
(iv) RNA polymerase II transcribes hnRNA.
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(i) and (ii)
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(i) and (iii)
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(i), (ii) and (iv)
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(i) and (iv)
RNA polymerase 1 (also known as Pol I) is, in higher eukaryotes, the polymerase that only transcribes ribosomal RNA (but not 5S rRNA, which is synthesized by RNA polymerase III), a type of RNA that accounts for over 50% of the total RNA synthesized in a cell. Pol I is a 590 kDa enzyme that consists of 14 protein subunits (polypeptides). Twelve of its subunits have identical or related counterparts in RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and RNA polymerase III (Pol III). The other two subunits are related to Pol II initiation factors and have structural homologues in Pol III. Ribosomal DNA transcription is confined to the nucleolus, where about 400 copies of the 42.9-kb rDNA gene are present, arranged as tandem repeats in nucleolus organizer regions. Each copy contains a 13.3 kb sequence encoding the 18S, the 5.8S, and the 28S RNA molecules, interlaced with two internal transcribed spacers, ITS1 and ITS2, and flanked upstream by a 5' external transcribed spacer and a downstream 3' external transcribed spacer. Because of the simplicity of Pol I transcription, it is the fastest-acting polymerase and contributes up to 60% of cellular transcription levels in exponentially growing cells.