Degeneracy of genetic code is due toa)Functional 20 codons and 61 amin...
There are 64 codons if genetic code is triplet, total 64 codons are formed in which 3 codon are terminator or stop codon. There are 64-3 61 codons and 20 amino acids. More than one codons code for same amino acids, so, genetic code is degenerate.
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Degeneracy of genetic code is due toa)Functional 20 codons and 61 amin...
Introduction:
The genetic code refers to the set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material (DNA or RNA) is translated into proteins. The genetic code is degenerate, meaning that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. This degeneracy is due to the redundancy in the genetic code.
Explanation:
The genetic code consists of a sequence of three nucleotides called codons. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal. There are a total of 64 possible codons (4 nucleotides raised to the power of 3 codons) that can be formed from the combination of four different nucleotides (A, T, G, and C) in groups of three.
Functional 61 codons and 20 amino acids:
In reality, there are only 20 different amino acids that are used to build proteins. However, the number of codons is greater than the number of amino acids. This means that some amino acids are coded for by more than one codon. For example, the amino acid leucine is coded for by six different codons (UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, and CUG). This redundancy in the genetic code is what leads to its degeneracy.
Functional 20 codons and 61 amino acids:
If there were only 20 codons and 61 amino acids, each codon would code for a specific amino acid and there would be no redundancy in the genetic code. However, this is not the case in reality.
Functional 64 codons and 20 amino acids:
There are a total of 64 possible codons, but only 20 different amino acids. This means that some amino acids are coded for by more than one codon. For example, the amino acid glycine is coded for by four different codons (GGU, GGC, GGA, and GGG). This redundancy allows for variations in the DNA sequence without affecting the final protein product.
Conclusion:
The degeneracy of the genetic code is due to the fact that there are more codons than there are amino acids. This redundancy allows for variations in the DNA sequence while still coding for the same amino acid. It provides a mechanism for the evolution of organisms and allows for robustness in protein synthesis.
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