In: Biology
Predict the outcome of two tandem tryptophan codons (UGGUGG) that are mutated to become tryptophan-cysteine codons (UGGUGC)? How would this change affect the regulation of tryptophan biosynthesis? Explain your answer and include the role of the regions within the leader sequence.
In tryptophan operon regulation, leader sequence plays an important role in switch off or on position. There are 4 regions on mRNA, region 1,2,3 and 4. Region 3 can complement between 2 and 3 both. If region 3 combine with 2 then transcription continous and tryptophan operon become switch on and if 3 complementry with 4 then it's cause hairpin like structure which leads to premature termination of transcription and hence tryptophan is switch off.
If leader sequence are having genetic codon of tryptophan amino acid then during protein synthesis ribosome halt or stop moving ahead when tryptophan absent in cell, due to lack of charged tRNA with tryptophan, so tryptophan operon become switch on.
Now, if tryptophan genetic codon is mutated to cysteine then ribosome does not halt there and hairpin like structure form between sequence no. 3 and 4 on mRNA which leads to pretermination of transcription so operon become switch off even in absence of tryptophan in cell.
Hope it's clear..thanks