Answer:
C. a sequence complementary to the promoter of the operon
Explanation:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are two major classes of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that function to control gene expression by binding to complementary RNA transcripts. Antisense oligonucleotides exploit this natural ability of the sncRNAs to regulate target gene expression.
An operon is a procaryotic single-strand DNA that contains a group of genes modulated by one single promoter, which are transcribed together to produce a single polycistronic messenger RNA (mRNA). In this example, the antisense complementary oligonucleotide will bind to the mRNA to modulate its transcription and, consequently, also protein synthesis.