Question

Mutations in the nucleic acid sequence of a gene can sometimes direct the substitution of one amino acid for another in the encoded protein. Which amino acid substitution would be most likely to severely disrupt the normal structure of a protein?

Answer 1

Answer:

If the codons consisted of two nucleotides instead of three then the possible number of combinations would be 4² that is, 16. Thus, a maximum of 16 amino acids could be specified. The organism would not be able to form proteins using all 20 amino acids.