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Scientists studying the nucleus of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster observed distinct types of nucleic acid chains - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 7
Scientists studying the nucleus of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster observed distinct types of nucleic acid chains. These scientists noticed that one type of n... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Scientists studying the nucleus of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster observed distinct types of nucleic acid chains - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 7 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe the steps occurring at the ribosome that resulted in the production of the polymer.
Answer
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Ribosomes use the mRNA code: The ribosome reads the messenger RNA (mRNA) that carries the genetic instructions for protein synthesis.
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tRNA brings a specific amino acid to the ribosome: Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules transport individual amino acids to the ribosome, matching them to the corresponding mRNA codons.
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tRNA anticodon joins to complementary mRNA codon: Each tRNA has an anticodon that pairs with the mRNA codon, ensuring that the correct amino acid is added to the growing polypeptide chain.
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An amino acid is added to the polypeptide chain: As tRNA molecules bring in amino acids, they are linked together by peptide bonds, forming a polypeptide chain that will eventually fold into a functional protein.
Step 2
How many nucleotide bases on the nucleic acid chain were involved in the coding for this polymer? Explain your response.
Answer
A polymer that is 90 monomers long would require the coding for 90 amino acids. Since each amino acid is coded by a triplet of nucleotide bases (a codon) in the mRNA, the total number of nucleotide bases involved in coding for this polymer can be calculated as follows:
Therefore, 270 nucleotide bases on the nucleic acid chain were involved in coding for this polymer.