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The sixth codon from an mRNA transcript(makes peptide A) is5\'...CUU...3\', whic

ID: 5811 • Letter: T

Question

The sixth codon from an mRNA transcript(makes peptide A) is5'...CUU...3', which is translated as leucine. The anticodon of theleucyl tRNA correctly base-paired to the mRNA transcript codon is3'...GAA..5'.

codon: 5'...CUU...3'

anticodon: 3'...GAA...5'

Now the part I need help with:

Surprisingly, the sixth amino acid in peptide A is found to bePhenylalanine instead of the expect leucine. Assuming thataminoacylation by tRNA synthetase is unchanged in this cell, howdoes a single mutation in the tRNA gene give this outcome?(notethat the mutation happens in the tRNA gene not the gene/mRNAtranscript of peptide A)

What specifically has changed to allow the anomalous outcomedescribed above?

I was thinking that a single point mutation happened on the tRNAgene, changing the GAA anticodon to AAG but I don't think this isright because this would mean that the 5/3 prime ends of thechanged/mutated anticodon would not match the codon of the mRNAtranscript.

For example, the mutation resulted in the anticodon3'...AAG...5' but the codon is 5'...CUU...3'.


Explanation / Answer

      You are right to thinkthat there occurred a point mutation.       The type of point mutationthat has occurred is a transition where a purine is replaced by another purine, that is in the       t-RNA at 3' positioninstead of G there is A.       As mentioned that theamino acylation in the t-RNA is unchanged, (which means it carriedphenyalanine only instead of       leucine) and the mutationis in t-RNA and not in m-RNA, the most possible point mutation istransition which has       replaced G (A ispresent).       Your thought that GAA haschanged to AAG wont be right because it wont be a pointmutation and the direction also        will bedifferent.       
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