2.7 - Genetic Code Flashcards
1
Q
What is a genetic code?
A
The sequence of nucleotides in DNA
2
Q
How many bases do a codon have?
A
3
3
Q
What does a codon code for?
A
An amino acid
4
Q
How many start codon are there?
A
1
5
Q
How many stop codons are there?
A
3
6
Q
What are the features of the genetic code?
A
- Triplet code (3 bases code for 1 amino acid)
- Non-overlapping (e.g. UCUUUG only consists of 2 codons: UCU & UUG)
- Degenerate (20 amino acids, 64 different triplets - so most amino acids are coded for by more than 1 triplet)
7
Q
What happens to genetic code as its degenerate?
A
sometimes there can be a mutation that
doesn’t affect the amino acid inserted into the polypeptide
