$Which\; of\; the\; following\; codons\; correspond\; to\; the\; amino\; acid\; lysine?$

• A. $\text{AAU}\text{and}\text{AAC}$
• B. $\text{AAA}\text{and}\text{AAG}$
• C. $\text{AGA}\text{and}\text{AGG}$
• D. $\text{GAA}\text{and}\text{GAG}$

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids or stop signals during protein synthesis.
2. Recall that the genetic code is universal and each codon specifies a particular amino acid. Lysine is one of the 20 standard amino acids encoded by the genetic code.
3. Consult the codon table, which maps each of the 64 possible codons to their corresponding amino acids. This table is essential for determining which codons encode lysine.
4. Identify the codons for lysine in the codon table. Lysine is encoded by the codons $\text{AAA}$ and $\text{AAG}$.
5. Compare the given options with the codons identified for lysine. The correct answer is the option that includes $\text{AAA}$ and $\text{AAG}$.