Textbook Question
An experiment by Khorana and his colleagues translated a synthetic mRNA containing repeats of the trinucelotide UUG.
How many reading frames are possible in this mRNA?
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Ch. 9 - The Molecular Biology of Translation
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - The Molecular Basis of Heredity, Variation, and Evolution64
- Ch. 2 - Transmission Genetics144
- Ch. 3 - Cell Division and Chromosome Heredity81
- Ch. 4 - Gene Interaction87
- Ch. 5 - Genetic Linkage and Mapping in Eukaryotes103
- Ch. 6 - Genetic Analysis and Mapping in Bacteria and Bacteriophages73
- Ch. 7 - DNA Structure and Replication71
- Ch. 8 - Molecular Biology of Transcription and RNA Processing79
- Ch. 9 - The Molecular Biology of Translation110
- Ch. 10 - Eukaryotic Chromosome Abnormalities and Molecular Organization100
- Ch. 11 - Gene Mutation, DNA Repair, and Homologous Recombination86
- Ch. 12 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria and Bacteriophage90
- Ch. 13 - Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes38
- Ch. 14 - Analysis of Gene Function via Forward Genetics and Reverse Genetics72
- Ch. 15 - Recombinant DNA Technology and Its Applications69
- Ch. 16 - Genomics: Genetics from a Whole-Genome Perspective49
- Ch. 17 - Organelle Inheritance and the Evolution of Organelle Genomes27
- Ch. 18 - Developmental Genetics43
- Ch. 19 - Genetic Analysis of Quantitative Traits66
- Ch. 20 - Population Genetics and Evolution at the Population, Species, and Molecular Levels105
Sanders3rd EditionGenetic Analysis: An Integrated ApproachISBN: 9780135564172Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 9, Problem 26
The human β-globin polypeptide contains 146 amino acids. How many mRNA nucleotides are required to encode this polypeptide?
Verified step by step guidance1
span>Step 1: Understand the relationship between amino acids and mRNA nucleotides. Each amino acid is encoded by a codon, which is a sequence of three mRNA nucleotides.
span>Step 2: Calculate the total number of codons needed for the β-globin polypeptide. Since the polypeptide contains 146 amino acids, you will need 146 codons.
span>Step 3: Determine the total number of mRNA nucleotides required. Multiply the number of codons (146) by the number of nucleotides per codon (3).
span>Step 4: Consider any additional nucleotides that might be required for the mRNA, such as start and stop codons, but for the purpose of this calculation, focus on the coding sequence.
span>Step 5: Conclude with the total number of mRNA nucleotides needed to encode the 146 amino acids of the β-globin polypeptide.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Genetic Code
The genetic code is a set of rules that defines how the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA is translated into the sequence of amino acids in a protein. Each amino acid is encoded by a sequence of three nucleotides, known as a codon. Understanding this code is essential for determining how many nucleotides are needed to encode a specific polypeptide.
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The Genetic Code
mRNA and Codons
mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a type of RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized. Each codon in mRNA corresponds to a specific amino acid in the polypeptide chain. Since each amino acid is represented by a triplet of nucleotides, the total number of nucleotides required can be calculated by multiplying the number of amino acids by three.
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Polypeptide Length and Nucleotide Calculation
The length of a polypeptide is determined by the number of amino acids it contains. To find the number of mRNA nucleotides required to encode a polypeptide, one must multiply the number of amino acids by three, as each amino acid is encoded by a triplet of nucleotides. Additionally, one must consider that the mRNA sequence does not include a stop codon in this calculation, as it is not part of the amino acid sequence.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
An experiment by Khorana and his colleagues translated a synthetic mRNA containing repeats of the trinucelotide UUG.
What is the result obtained from each reading frame?
595
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Textbook Question
An experiment by Khorana and his colleagues translated a synthetic mRNA containing repeats of the trinucelotide UUG.
How does the result of this experiment help confirm the triplet nature of the genetic code?
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Textbook Question
The mature mRNA transcribed from the human β-globin gene is considerably longer than the sequence needed to encode the 146–amino acid polypeptide. Give the names of three sequences located on the mature β-globin mRNA but not translated.
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Textbook Question
The following figure contains several examples of the Shine–Dalgarno sequence. Using the seven Shine–Dalgarno sequences from E. coli, determine the consensus sequence and describe its location relative to the start codon.
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Textbook Question
A research scientist is interested in producing human insulin in the bacterial species E. coli. Will the genetic code allow the production of human proteins from bacterial cells? Explain why or why not.
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