Essentials of Genetics Plus Mastering Genetics with eText -- Access Card Package (9th Edition) (Klug et al. Genetics Series)
9th Edition
ISBN: 9780134047201
Author: William S. Klug, Michael R. Cummings, Charlotte A. Spencer, Michael A. Palladino
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 12, Problem 25PDQ
The genetic code is degenerate. Amino acids are encoded by either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 triplet codons. (See Figure 12–7.) An interesting question is whether the number of triplet codes for a given amino acid is in any way correlated with the frequency with which that amino acid appears in proteins. That is, is the genetic code optimized for its intended use? Some approximations of the frequency of appearance of nine amino acids in proteins in E. coli are
| Amino Acid | Percentage |
| Met | 2 |
| Cys | 2 |
| Gln | 5 |
| Pro | 5 |
| Arg | 5 |
| lle | 6 |
| Glu | 7 |
| Ala | 8 |
| Leu | 10 |
(a) Determine how many triplets encode each amino acid.
(b) Devise a way to graphically compare the two sets of information (data).
(c) Analyze your data to determine what, if any, correlations can be drawn between the relative frequency of amino acids making up proteins and the number of codons for each. Write a paragraph that states your specific and general conclusions.
(d) How would you proceed with your analysis if you wanted to pursue this problem further?
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Students have asked these similar questions
The amino acid glycine is encoded by four codons: GGA, GGC, GGG, and GGU.
Which of the following statements correctly explains this fact?
The glycine anticodon contains the sequence CC, but the 5' base of the anticodon can pair nonspecifically with the 3' base of the codon.
The glycine anticodon contains the sequence CC, but the 3' base of the anticodon can pair nonspecifically with the 5' base of the codon.
Glycine tRNA has four anticodons, and the appropriate anticodon specifically pairs with the correct codon.
There are four tRNAs for glycine, each of which has an anticodon that specifically pairs with the correct codon.
all of the above
In your own words,
What is meant by “Universality and Degeneracy” of the Genetic Code? What is the significance of the code’s Universality? Degeneracy?
If there are 64 possible codons in the genetic code and the amino acid is specified by each, as read in the 5’ to 3’ direction from the mRNA sequence, which ones are STOP codons?
Chapter 12 Solutions
Essentials of Genetics Plus Mastering Genetics with eText -- Access Card Package (9th Edition) (Klug et al. Genetics Series)
Ch. 12 - CASE STUDY | A drug that sometimes works A...Ch. 12 -
CASE STUDY | A drug that sometimes works
A...Ch. 12 -
CASE STUDY | A drug that sometimes works
A...Ch. 12 - HOW DO WE KNOW? In this chapter, we focused on the...Ch. 12 - Review the Chapter Concepts list on p. 215. These...Ch. 12 - In studies of frameshift mutations, Crick,...Ch. 12 -
4. The mRNA formed from the repeating...Ch. 12 - In studies using repeating copolymers, AC......Ch. 12 - Prob. 6PDQCh. 12 - Prob. 7PDQ
Ch. 12 -
8. When the amino acid sequences of insulin...Ch. 12 - Prob. 9PDQCh. 12 - Why doesn't polynucleotide phosphorylase (Ochoa's...Ch. 12 - Refer to Table 12.1. Can you hypothesize why a...Ch. 12 -
12. Predict the amino acid sequence produced...Ch. 12 - A short RNA molecule was isolated that...Ch. 12 - A glycine residue exists at position 210 of the...Ch. 12 - Shown here is a theoretical viral mRNA sequence...Ch. 12 -
16. Most proteins have more leucine than...Ch. 12 - Define the process of transcription. Where does...Ch. 12 - Describe the structure of RNA polymerase in...Ch. 12 - In a written paragraph, describe the abbreviated...Ch. 12 - Messenger RNA molecules are very difficult to...Ch. 12 - One form of posttranscriptional modification of...Ch. 12 - In a mixed copolymer experiment, messages were...Ch. 12 -
23. Shown in this problem are the amino acid...Ch. 12 - Alternative splicing is a common mechanism for...Ch. 12 - The genetic code is degenerate. Amino acids are...
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- If the genetic code uses triplets, how many different amino acids can be coded by a repeating RNA polymer composed of UA and UC (UAUCUAUCUAUC ...)? a. one b. two c. three d. four e. fivearrow_forwardIf the coding region of a gene (the exons) contains 2,100 base pairs of DNA, would a missense mutation cause a protein to be shorter, longer, or the same length as the normal 700 amino acid proteins? What would be the effect of a nonsense mutation? A sense mutation?arrow_forwardA certain mRNA strand has the following nucleotide sequence: 5AUGACGUAUAACUUU3 What is the anticodon for each codon? What is the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide? (Use Figure 13-5 to help answer this question.) Figure 13-5 The genetic code The genetic code specifies all possible combinations of the three bases that compose codons in mRNA. Of the 64 possible codons, 61 specify amino acids (see Figure 3-17 for an explanation of abbreviations). The codon AUG specifies the amino acid methionine and also signals the ribosome to initiate translation (start). Three codonsUAA, UGA, and UAGdo not specify amino acids; they terminate polypeptide synthesis (stop).arrow_forward
- If the genetic code used 4 bases at a time, how many amino acids could be encoded?arrow_forwardSuppose that codons consisted of 4 nucleotides instead of 3 and that there were only 2 different bases. How many amino acids could be encoded by this variant of the genetic code?arrow_forwardWhat does “Universality and Degeneracy” of the Genetic Code mean? State the significance of both the code’s Universality and Degeneracy.arrow_forward
- What does it mean when we say that the genetic code is degenerate? Discuss the universality of the genetic code.arrow_forwardWhat does it mean when we say that the genetic code contains degeneracy? Discuss the universality of the genetic code.arrow_forwardConsider this nucleotide sequence of DNA strand in the image provided. If this strand is the sense strand, Give the correct nucleotide sequence of the RNA produced after transcription. If the RNA formed in #1 is already a functional mRNA and will be used to synthesize proteins, how many codons are present here that will actually code for amino acids? What is the sequence of the stop codon in this mRNA? What is the sequence of the 3rd codon in this mRNA? What is the sequence of the last codon in this mRNA that actually code for an amino acid?arrow_forward
- In how many cases in the genetic code would it NOT be possible to know the amino acid specified by a codon if only the first two nucleotides of the codon are known?arrow_forwardWhich of the following mutations in the protein-coding region of a gene is more likely to lead to complete loss of function of the encoded protein: an insertion of six nucleotides or a deletion of two nucleotides? Briefly explain your answer.arrow_forwardWhat is meant by the statement “The genetic code is universal”? What is the significance of this finding?arrow_forward
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