Site icon Vern Bender

Once a protein is completed, it has a job to perform.

  • There is no overlap in the genetic code. The four nucleotides found in mRNA, A, U, G, and C, can produce a total of 64 different combinations. Of these 64 codons, 61 represent amino acids, and the remaining three represent stop signals, which trigger the end of protein synthesis. Because there are only 20 different amino acids but 64 possible codons, most amino acids are indicated by more than one codon. (however, each codon represents only one amino acid or stop codon.) This phenomenon is known as redundancy or degeneracy, and it is essential to the genetic code because it minimizes the harmful effects that incorrectly placed nucleotides can have.
  • Redundancy in the genetic code means that most amino acids are specified by more than one mRNA codon. During translation, ribosomes move along an mRNA strand. With the help of proteins called initiation factors, elongation factors, and release factors, they assemble the sequence of amino acids indicated by the mRNA, thereby forming a protein.
  • Once a protein is complete, it has a job to perform. Some proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions. Other proteins play roles in DNA replication and transcription. Yet other proteins provide structural support for the cell, create channels through the cell membrane, or carry out one of many other crucial cellular support functions.
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