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Ch.11 Nucleic Acids Big Molecules with a Big Role
Frost - General, Organic and Biological Chemistry 4th Edition
Frost4th EditionGeneral, Organic and Biological ChemistryISBN: 9780134988696Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 7, Problem 69c

Provide the amino acid corresponding to each of the following codons:
c. AUC

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the problem. The question asks to identify the amino acid corresponding to the codon 'AUC'. Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that specify particular amino acids during protein synthesis.
Step 2: Recall the genetic code. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal. The genetic code is universal and can be found in reference tables.
Step 3: Identify the codon 'AUC'. The codon 'AUC' is composed of adenine (A), uracil (U), and cytosine (C). This sequence is read during translation in the ribosome.
Step 4: Use the genetic code table to find the amino acid. Locate 'AUC' in the table, which is listed under codons for the amino acid isoleucine (Ile).
Step 5: Confirm your result. Double-check the genetic code table to ensure that 'AUC' indeed corresponds to isoleucine, and note that isoleucine is a nonpolar amino acid.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Codons

Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids or stop signals during protein synthesis. Each codon is part of the genetic code, which translates the information encoded in DNA into functional proteins. Understanding codons is essential for interpreting genetic information and determining the amino acid sequence of proteins.
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Amino Acids

Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins. There are 20 standard amino acids, each with a unique side chain that determines its properties and role in protein structure and function. The sequence of amino acids in a protein is dictated by the corresponding codons in the mRNA, making it crucial to know which codons correspond to which amino acids.
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Genetic Code

The genetic code is a set of rules that defines how sequences of nucleotides in DNA and RNA are translated into amino acids. It is universal among almost all organisms and consists of 64 codons that specify 20 amino acids and three stop signals. Familiarity with the genetic code is vital for accurately translating codons into their respective amino acids, such as identifying the amino acid for the codon AUC.
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