In: Biology
A deletion mutation occurs, leaving 11 bases in nucleotide sequence. What is the maximum number of amino acids that could be coded for by this sequence? Question 8 options: 3 4 6 11 ? Why?
Answer. Amino acids are monomer units of the polypeptide. Each amino acid is coded by a codon. Codons are DNA sequences of three nucleotides (nucleotide triplets), for example, codon AUG codes for amino acid methionine.
A nucleotide sequence of 11 bases can code three amino acids because each codon consists of nucleotide triplets so 9 nucleotide sequence ( 9 nucleotide/ nucleotide triplet 3 = 3) will be used to code for amino acids and the remaining two nucleotides will not be used to code for amino acid as one more nucleotide is required to complete the nucleotide triplet. Therefore, only 3 amino acid is the right answer.
To code 4 amino acid, a nucleotide sequence of 12 bases (4*3) is required therefore, 4 is not the correct answer.
To code 6 amino acids, 18 bases (6*3) long nucleotide sequence is needed therefore, 6 is not the right answer.
A total of 33 bases long nucleotide sequence is required to code for 11 amino acid peptides therefore, 11 is not the right answer.