Chapter 23, Problem 9STP

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The number of amino acids coded for in a strand of RNA $2.73\times {10}^4$ bases long needs to be determined.

Concept introduction:

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and RNA stands for ribonucleic acid. DNA includes four bases such as adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). RNA consists of four bases: adenine, cytosine, uracil, and guanine.

Answer to Problem 9STP

There are $9.10\times {10}^3$ amino acids that code for in a strand of RNA $2.73\times {10}^4$ bases long.

Explanation of Solution

We need to divide the total number of bases by three to calculate the number of amino acids because three bases code for one single amino acid.

So,

$\begin{array}{c}\text{No}\text{of}\text{Amino}\text{acid=}\frac{\text{2}{\text{.73×10}}^{\text{4}}\text{bases}}{\text{3}}\\ \text{=9}{\text{.10×10}}^{\text{3}}\end{array}$

Conclusion

$9.10\times {10}^3$ amino acids coded for in a strand of RNA $2.73\times {10}^4$ bases long.