AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The three-letter nature of codons means that 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.

Detailed explanation-2: -Because DNA consists of four different bases, and because there are three bases in a codon, and because 4 * 4 * 4 = 64, there are 64 possible patterns for a codon. Since there are only 20 possible amino acids, this means that there is some redundancy–several different codons can encode for the same amino acid.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because there are only four nucleotides in DNA and RNA, there are only 64 possible codons. Of the 64 codons, 61 code for amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins.

Detailed explanation-4: -Choosing the Amino Acids If you play with the letters A, U, G and C and rearrange them into groups of three, you’ll find that there are 64 possible combinations with distinct order.

Detailed explanation-5: -A triplet combination, or codon, would allow for 64 possible combinations (four bases at each of three positions = 4 × 4 × 4 = 64).