True or False: During RNA splicing, small nuclear ribonucleoproteins called SNRNPs help to remove introns.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. They catalyze the ligation of exons
• D. They recruit ribosomes to the mRNA

Answer: (A)

RNA splicing relies on the spliceosome, a complex in the nucleus built in part from small nuclear RNPs. These snRNPs contain snRNAs and proteins that pair with pre-mRNA at the splice sites and branch point, helping to assemble and position the catalytic core of the spliceosome. As the spliceosome forms, it carries out two transesterification reactions that remove the intron and join the exons, so snRNPs are directly involved in intron removal. They’re not responsible for recruiting ribosomes to mRNA—that’s a step in translation in the cytoplasm, not splicing. So the statement is true: snRNPs help remove introns during RNA splicing.