Question

Most proteins have more leucine than histidine residues but more histidine than tryptophan residues. Correlate the number of codons for these three amino acids with this information.

Short answer

Answer: The number of codons for each amino acid directly correlates with their occurrence in proteins. Leucine has more codons (6) than both histidine (2) and tryptophan (1), which means leucine is more likely to be present in protein sequences. Similarly, histidine has more codons (2) than tryptophan (1), making histidine more common in proteins than tryptophan.

Step-by-step solution

Determine the Genetic Code of Leucine, Histidine, and Tryptophan

First, we need to search for the genetic code of these three amino acids. This information can be found in a genetic code table. Upon checking the table, we find that: - Leucine (Leu, L): 6 codons (UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, CUG) - Histidine (His, H): 2 codons (CAU, CAC) - Tryptophan (Trp, W): 1 codon (UGG)

Compare the Number of Codons

Now that we know the number of codons for each amino acid, we can compare them: Leucine has more codons (6) than both histidine (2) and tryptophan (1). This means that there is a higher chance that leucine will be present in the protein sequence. Histidine also has more codons (2) than tryptophan (1), so histidine is expected to occur more often than tryptophan in a protein sequence.

Correlate the Codon Numbers with the Information Given

The information given stated that most proteins have more leucine than histidine residues and more histidine than tryptophan residues. Based on the number of codons we found for each amino acid, this holds true: Leucine (6 codons) > Histidine (2 codons) > Tryptophan (1 codon). This means that the number of codons for each of the three amino acids directly correlates with their occurrence in proteins.