Anticodon and Protein Synthesis: Understanding the Basics
How many sequential nucleotides make up an anticodon?
Choose the correct answer:
- One sequential nucleotide
- Two sequential nucleotides
- Three sequential nucleotides
Answer
An anticodon is composed of three sequential nucleotides on a tRNA molecule.
An anticodon is a specific three-nucleotide sequence found on a tRNA molecule. This sequence is designed to be complementary to a specific codon on an mRNA molecule. The anticodon ensures that the correct amino acid is added during the protein synthesis process. Each anticodon is composed of three sequential nucleotides.
The sequence of an anticodon is important because it dictates the type of amino acid that will be added to the growing polypeptide chain in the ribosome during translation. The nature of the genetic code is such that sixty-one of the sixty-four codons correspond to amino acids while the remaining three are stop codons. Considering the mRNA, codon-anticodon interaction, this sequence specificity ensures accurate translation of the genetic code into proteins, which is fundamental to all biological processes.