Question

Har Gobind Khorana and his colleagues performed numerous experiments translating synthetic mRNAs. In one experiment, an mRNA molecule with a repeating UG dinucleotide sequence was assembled and translated.
Write the sequence of this mRNA. Select all that apply.

a) 3'-GUGUGUGUGUGUGUGU...-5'
b) 5'-GUGUGUGUGUGUGUGU...-3'
c) 3'-UGUGUGUGUGUGUGUG...-5'
d) 5'-UGUGUGUGUGUGUGUG...-3'

Answer 1

Answer:

d) 5'-UGUGUGUGUGUGUGUG...-3'

Explanation:

A UG dinucleotide is when UG is repeated.

mRNAs are transcribed and translated as a 5' to 3' molecule. Therefore, the direction should be 5' - 3'.

For the mRNA to be in frame, it must start with UG. The only option that runs 5' - 3' and is in frame for a UG dinucleotide is d.