Question

In a mixed copolymer experiment, messages were created with either \(4 / 5 \mathrm{C}: 1 / 5 \mathrm{A}\) or \(4 / 5 \mathrm{A}: 1 / 5 \mathrm{C}\). These messages yielded proteins with the amino acid compositions shown in the following table. Using these data, predict the most specific coding composition for each amino acid. $$\begin{array}{lccc} {}{} {4 / 5 \mathrm{C}: 1 / 5 \mathrm{A}} & {}{} {4 / 5 \mathrm{A}: 1 / 5 \mathrm{C}} \\ \text { Proline } & 63.0 \% & \text { Proline } & 3.5 \% \\ \text { Histidine } & 13.0 \% & \text { Histidine } & 3.0 \% \\ \text { Threonine } & 16.0 \% & \text { Threonine } & 16.6 \% \\ \text { Glutamine } & 3.0 \% & \text { Glutamine } & 13.0 \% \\ \text { Asparagine } & 3.0 \% & \text { Asparagine } & 13.0 \% \\ \text { Lysine } & \underline{0.5 \%} & \text { Lysine } & \underline{50.0 \%} \\\ & 98.5 \% & & 99.1 \% \end{array}$$

Short answer

Answer: The predictions are as follows: - Proline: More reliant on C - Histidine: More reliant on C - Threonine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Glutamine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Asparagine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Lysine: More reliant on A

Step-by-step solution

Identify the amino acids with higher occurrence in each message

Compare the percentages of each amino acid in both messages: Message 1 (4/5 C: 1/5 A): Proline 63%, Histidine 13%, Threonine 16%, Glutamine 3%, Asparagine 3%, Lysine 0.5% Message 2 (4/5 A: 1/5 C): Proline 3.5%, Histidine 3%, Threonine 16.6%, Glutamine 13%, Asparagine 13%, Lysine 50% From the comparison, we can see that Proline and Histidine are much more prominent in message 1 compared to message 2, whereas Lysine is much more prominent in message 2 compared to message 1.

Determine the coding compositions based on nucleotide contribution

Since Proline and Histidine are more prominent in message 1, where C is more abundant, it is reasonable to infer that the coding composition for these amino acids is more reliant on C than on A. Similarly, because Lysine is much more prominent in message 2, where A is more abundant, it is likely that the coding composition for Lysine is more reliant on A than on C. Threonine, Glutamine, and Asparagine have roughly similar proportions in each message, indicating that their coding compositions are likely more evenly dependent on both C and A.

Predict the specific coding compositions for each amino acid

Based on the conclusions from Step 2, we can predict the most specific coding compositions for each amino acid: - Proline: More reliant on C - Histidine: More reliant on C - Threonine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Glutamine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Asparagine: Evenly reliant on C and A - Lysine: More reliant on A These predictions provide a rough estimate of the coding compositions for each amino acid in these messages; however, more detailed analysis or experimental data would be necessary to accurately determine individual nucleotide codes for each amino acid.