Question

Explain why the genetic code is degenerate

Answer 1

• The relationship between the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide and nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA is called genetic code.

• The genetic codon are degenerate codons, they lack specificity and one amino acid has more than one code.

• Out of 64 codons only three are stop codon, only two codon specify a single amino acid.

• They are AUG for methionine and UGG for tryptophan.

• Three amino acids have six codon each.

• Five amino acid have four codons.

• One amino acid with three codon.

• Nine amino acids are specified by two codons.