What is the primary function of small nuclear RNA (snRNA)?

The primary function of small nuclear RNA (snRNA) is to participate in splicing, which is a crucial process in the maturation of pre-mRNA into functional mRNA. During splicing, introns (non-coding regions) are removed from the pre-mRNA, allowing exons (coding regions) to be joined together. SnRNA is an essential component of the spliceosome, the complex machinery responsible for this processing. They play a direct role in recognizing splice sites on the pre-mRNA and facilitating the chemical reactions that lead to the removal of introns.

In this context, the other options describe different functions of RNA that do not align with the specific role of snRNA. For instance, the involvement in protein synthesis pertains to mRNA, tRNA, and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Acting as a template for mRNA is a characteristic of DNA during transcription, not snRNA. Catalyzing RNA degradation typically refers to other types of RNA molecules or enzyme systems, such as ribozymes or RNA interferases, rather than the function of snRNA. Thus, the focus of snRNA on splicing establishes its primary importance in the regulation and processing of pre-mRNA.