Why is a DNA sequence motif consisting of codons uninterrupted by a stop codon often called a "putative" open reading frame instead of just an open reading frame?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All of these choices are correct. A putative open reading frame may be interrupted by a stop codon, sequencing error, or part of an intron. Additionally, even if it is uninterrupted and transcribed, it may still be due to chance and not actually code for a functional protein. Therefore, the term "putative" is used to indicate that it is a potential open reading frame, but further analysis is needed to determine if it is a true functional gene.

Why Is a DNA Sequence Motif Consisting of Codons Uninterrupted