Answer to Question #177189 in Zoology for Ajay

Question

Describe the special characteristic of genetic code

Answer 1

The genetic code has four main special features:

1. The genetic code is non-overlapping, for example a sequence UGGAUCGAU is read UGG AUC GAU rather than UGG GGA GAU etc.
2. The code is degenerate, meaning more than one codon encodes for the same amino acid. There are 64 possible triplets yet only 20 amino acids so most amino acids are encoded by 2 or more codons. Triplets that code for the same amino acid are known as synonyms.
3. The code has no punctuation, so no base serves as a "comma" between groups of bases, therefore the code is read sequencially three bases at a time.
4. Three nucleotides/bases encode an amino acid, there are 20 different amino acids which are the building blocks for proteins.