An experiment by Khorana and his colleagues translated a synthetic mRNA containing repeats of the trinucelotide UUG.

What is the result obtained from each reading frame?

Key Concepts

Reading Frames

A reading frame refers to the way nucleotides in mRNA are grouped into codons, which are sets of three nucleotides that correspond to specific amino acids. There are three possible reading frames for any given mRNA sequence, depending on where translation begins. Each reading frame can produce a different sequence of amino acids, leading to distinct polypeptides.

Codon and Amino Acid Translation

Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that specify a particular amino acid during protein synthesis. The genetic code is universal, meaning that each codon corresponds to the same amino acid across different organisms. Understanding how codons translate into amino acids is crucial for predicting the outcome of mRNA translation.

Synthetic mRNA and Experimental Design

Synthetic mRNA is artificially created to study specific genetic sequences and their effects on protein synthesis. In the experiment by Khorana, the synthetic mRNA contained repeated sequences of the trinucleotide UUG, allowing researchers to analyze how different reading frames affect the resulting polypeptides. This experimental design helps elucidate the relationship between mRNA sequences and protein structure.