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Chapter 32
The Genetic Code
to accompany Biochemistry, 2/e by Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham
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Outline
32.1 Elucidating the Genetic Code 32.2 The Nature of the Genetic Code 32.3 The Second Genetic Code 32.4 Codon-Anticodon Pairing, Third-Base Degeneracy and the Wobble Hypothesis 32.5 Codon Usage 32.6 Nonsense Suppression
All the codons have meaning: 61 specify amino acids, and the other 3 are "nonsense" or "stop" codons The code is unambiguous - only one amino acid is indicated by each of the 61 codons The code is degenerate - except for Trp and Met, each amino acid is coded by two or more codons Codons representing the same or similar amino acids are similar in sequence 2nd base pyrimidine: usually nonpolar amino acid 2nd base purine: usually polar or charged aa
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Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases
Mechanism and specificity Deacylase activity "edits" and hydrolyzes misacylated aminoacyl-tRNAs Despite common function, the synthetases are a diverse collection of enzymes Four different quaternary structures: , 2, 4 and 22 Subunits from 334 to more than 1000 residues
Recognition of tRNAs
by the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases Anticodon region is not the only recognition site The "inside of the L" and other regions of the tRNA molecule are also important Read pages 1080-1082 on specificity of several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
Copyright 1999 by Harcourt Brace & Company
Third-Base Degeneracy
and the Wobble Hypothesis Codon-anticodon pairing is the crucial feature of the "reading of the code" But what accounts for "degeneracy": are there 61 different anticodons, or can you get by with fewer than 61, due to lack of specificity at the third position? Crick's Wobble Hypothesis argues for the second possibility - the first base of the anticodon (which matches the 3rd base of the codon) is referred to as the "wobble position"
Copyright 1999 by Harcourt Brace & Company