Question

Why is transcription and translation coupled temporally and spatially in prokaryotic cells?

Answer 1

In prokaryotes genetic material is not enclosed in a membrane-enclosed nucleus and has access to ribosomes in the cytoplasm.

Prokaryotic transcription occurs in the cytoplasm alongside translation and can occur simultaneously.

Within the nucleus of the cell, genes are transcribed into RNA. This RNA is then subject to post-transcriptional modification and control, resulting in a mature mRNA that is then transported out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm, where it undergoes translation into a protein.

This is the reason why transcription and translation coupled temporally and spatially in prokaryotic cells.