Codons are degenerate, means some amino acid are coded by

Options

A. more than one codons
B. only one codon
C. two codons
D. more than 3 codons

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Codons**: Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids. The genetic code consists of 64 possible codons (4^3 combinations of the four nucleotides: A, U, C, G).

2. **Definition of Degeneracy**: The term "degenerate" in the context of codons refers to the fact that multiple codons can encode the same amino acid. This means that there is redundancy in the genetic code.

3. **Examples of Degeneracy**:
- For instance, the amino acid Glycine can be coded by several codons: GGU, GGC, GGA, and GGG. This illustrates that more than one codon can specify the same amino acid.
- Another example is the amino acid Alanine, which can be coded by codons GCU, GCC, GCA, and GCG.

4. **Conclusion**: Since multiple codons can code for the same amino acid, the correct interpretation of the statement "codons are degenerate" is that one amino acid is coded by more than one codon.

5. **Final Answer**: Therefore, the correct option is that "some amino acids are coded by more than one codon."

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