Which of the following cannot be determined solely from the nucleotide sequence of a gene?

• A. The amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by the gene
• B. The three-dimensional structure of the protein encoded by the gene
• C. The possible regulatory elements within the gene
• D. The presence of introns and exons in the gene

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that the nucleotide sequence of a gene provides the exact order of nucleotides (A, T, C, G) in the DNA, which can be directly translated into the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein using the genetic code.
2. Recognize that from the nucleotide sequence, you can identify potential regulatory elements such as promoters, enhancers, and other motifs by looking for known consensus sequences or patterns.
3. Note that the presence of introns and exons can be inferred from the nucleotide sequence if you have additional information such as comparison with mRNA sequences or known splice site consensus sequences within the gene.
4. Recall that the amino acid sequence of a protein is a linear chain of residues determined by the gene's coding sequence, so it can be directly deduced from the nucleotide sequence.
5. Understand that the three-dimensional structure of a protein depends on complex folding processes influenced by the cellular environment, post-translational modifications, and interactions, which cannot be predicted solely from the nucleotide sequence without additional experimental or computational data.