Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Codons
Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids or stop signals during protein synthesis. Each codon is part of the genetic code, which translates the information encoded in DNA into functional proteins. Understanding codons is essential for determining which amino acids are produced during translation.
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Amino Acids
Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins. There are 20 standard amino acids, each with a unique side chain that determines its properties and role in protein structure and function. Threonine, for example, is an essential amino acid that must be obtained through diet, and its codons are crucial for its incorporation into proteins.
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Genetic Code
The genetic code is a set of rules that defines how sequences of nucleotides in DNA and RNA are translated into amino acids. It is universal among almost all organisms and consists of 64 codons that specify the 20 amino acids, including multiple codons for some amino acids like threonine. Understanding the genetic code is vital for predicting the amino acid sequence of proteins based on mRNA.
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