2 genes and chromosomes
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15 Terms
what’s a gene?
a sequence of DNA bases that codes for either an amino acid sequence of a polypeptide or functional RNA
where does a gene occupy?
a fixed position called a locus on a particular DNA molecule
what’s a triplet/codon?
a sequence of three DNA bases that codes for a specific amino acid
what are the three things the genetic code is?
degenerate
universal
non overlapping
what does the genetic code being degenerate mean?
most amino acids have multiple triplets/codons that code for the same amino acid
how many amino acids and DNA bases are there?
20 amino acids the genetic code has to code for and 4 DNA bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine), therefore three bases are needed to make enough combinations for at least 20 amino acids
how can the number of combinations needed for 20 amino acids be proven mathematically?
4³ = 64. as there are 64 combinations, that’s more than needed to code for 20 amino acids. as a result, each amino acid is coded for by more than one triplet of bases
why is the genetic code being degenerate an advantage?
if a gene mutation occurs, even though the triplet of bases will be different, it may still code for the same amino acid and have no affect
what does the genetic code being universal mean?
the same specific triplet of bases codes for the same amino acids in all living things
what does the genetic code being non overlapping mean?
each base in a gene is only part of one triplet of bases that codes for one amino acid
why is the genetic code being non overlapping an advantage?
if a mutation occurs, it only affects one triplet and therefore one amino acid
what are the sequences that code for amino acids called?
exons
what are exons separated by?
one or more non coding sequences that do not code for amino acids called introns
do all base sequences code for an amino acid?
no, there are non coding multiple repeats of base sequences between genes
what happens to introns in eukaryotes during protein synthesis?
they’re removed so they don’t affect the amino acid order