Question

Degeneracy of genetic code denotes the existence of
A. Multiple codons for a single amino acid
B. Wobble hypothesis
C. Base triplets that do not code for amino acids.
D. All of these

Answer 1

Hint: The process by which proteins are derived from RNA is called translation. The sequence of amino acids in the protein is determined by the sequence of nitrogen bases in the mRNA. Each amino acid is programmed by a triplet code that consists of a sequence of three nitrogen
bases in the DNA and the complementary bases in the mRNA.

Complete answer: Genetic information for protein synthesis is coded in a DNA molecule. A single amino acid is determined by an order of three nitrogen bases. So, it is a three-letter code and the sequence of three bases determining a single amino acid is called a codon. There are 64 codons for all naturally occurring amino acids. Genetic code has certain salient features too. It is universal because the same code applies to all living organisms from bacteria to humans. Degeneracy is another feature which means that some amino acids are specified by many codons. These codons are called degenerate codons. Wobble hypothesis states that the difference between two codons that code for the same amino acids lies in the third nitrogen base of the codon. The degeneracy of the genetic code also indicates the existence of the wobble hypothesis. Also, there are combinations of bases that do not code for any amino acids. For example, stop codons like UAA, UAG and UGA do not code for any amino acid.
Hence the correct option is D.

Note: Protein synthesis takes place in ribosomes inside the cell. The genetic information written in the DNA is transcribed and carried by the mRNA to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. The sequence of nitrogen bases in mRNA decides automatically the sequence of amino acids in a protein molecule.