The genetic code is described as a degenerate code:
This means that:
A - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 4
The genetic code is described as a degenerate code:
This means that:
A. in almost all organisms the same DNA triplet is translated to the same amino acid.
B. some am... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The genetic code is described as a degenerate code:
This means that:
A - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. in almost all organisms the same DNA triplet is translated to the same amino acid.
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Answer
This statement is generally true as the genetic code is highly conserved across various organisms, meaning that the same triplet codon will usually code for the same amino acid in different organisms.
Step 2
B. some amino acids may be encoded by more than one codon.
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Answer
This statement is correct and is a key characteristic of the degeneracy of the genetic code. For instance, the amino acid leucine can be encoded by six different codons (UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, CUG).
Step 3
C. a single nucleotide cannot be part of two adjacent codons.
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Answer
This statement is correct because codons are defined as segments of three nucleotides, and thus a single nucleotide cannot simultaneously belong to two separate codons.
Step 4
D. three codons are needed to specify one amino acid.
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Answer
This statement is incorrect. Only one codon is needed to specify one amino acid. Each codon consists of three nucleotides, but only one codon corresponds to a single amino acid.
