Question:
mam , here in ncert textbook of biology chapter 6 in topic no.6.6 stated that, "some amino acids are coded by more than one codon ,hence the code is degenerate."
so mam my question is that when code is degenerate so how can amino acids are detected by that codons if they degenerated???mean i am confused by this line that what it explain
Answer:
Hi there!
Remember, there are total 61 codons which code for amino acids. The number of amino acids which are produced in the cell is 20. This means, to code for 20 amino acids, we have 61 codons. This shows that the number of codons are way more than the amino acids to be coded, which clearly indicates that a single amino acid can be more than one codon. This is called 'degenerate nature of codons'.
For example, each of the following codons code for the same amino acid 'valine' - GUU, GUA, GUC, GUG.
But also remember, one codon specifically codes for only one amino acid. This indicates the specific nature of the codon.
To have an even more clearer explanation, refer to the following video link: https://youtu.be/7ZNDupgth8s?feature=shared&t=1835
Thanks
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