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Chapter 15: Q.20 (page 392)

Discuss how degeneracy of the genetic code makes cells more robust to mutations.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Degeneracy is believed to be a cellular mechanism toreduce the negative impact of random mutations.

Step by step solution

01

Step1. Introduction

Degeneracy or redundancy of codons is the redundancy of the genetic code, exhibited as the multiplicity of three-base pair codon combinations that specify an amino acid.

The degeneracy of the genetic code is what accounts for the existence of synonymous mutations.

02

Step2. Explanation

Codons that specify the same amino acid typically only differ by one nucleotide. In addition, amino acids with chemically similar side chains are encoded by similar codons.

This nuance of the genetic code ensures that a single-nucleotide substitution mutation might either specify the same amino acid and have no effect, or may specify a similar amino acid, preventing the protein from being rendered completely nonfunctional.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

How do enhancers and promoters differ? a. Enhancers bind transcription factors to silence gene expression, while promoters activate transcription. b. Enhancers increase the efficiency of gene expression but are not essential for transcription. Promoter recognition is essential to transcription initiation. c. Promoters bind transcription factors to increase the efficiency of transcription. Enhancers bind RNA polymerases to initiate transcription. d. There is no difference. Both are transcription factor-binding sequences in DNA.

Imagine if there were 200 commonly occurring amino acids instead of 20. Given what you know about the genetic code, what would be the shortest possible codon length? Explain.

Which feature of promoters can be found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes? a. GC box b. TATA box c. octamer box d. -10 and -35 sequences

Which subunit of the E. coli polymerase confers specificity to transcription?

a. α

b. β

c. β'

d. σ

What transcripts will be most affected by low levels of αamanitin?

a. 18S and 28S rRNAs

b. pre-mRNAs

c. 5S rRNAs and tRNAs

d. other small nuclear RNAs
See all solutions

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