Final answer:
The 'mini-gene' DNA sequence TACCCGGATTCA translates to an mRNA sequence, which is further divided into codons that correspond to amino acids. As a result, this particular sequence encodes a polypeptide that is four amino acids long.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves the process of translating a DNA sequence into a polypeptide. In this case, the sequence provided is TACCCGGATTCA, which needs to be first converted into an mRNA sequence and then translated into a sequence of amino acids. Each set of three nucleotides in mRNA, known as a codon, corresponds to a single amino acid, or a stop signal for the translation process.
First, the DNA sequence is transcribed into mRNA, which is complementary to the DNA strand. This means that Thymines (T) are replaced with Uracils (U). So, the mRNA sequence corresponding to the DNA strand TACCCGGATTCA is AUGGGCCUAAGU. This mRNA sequence is then divided into codons: AUG-GGC-CUA-AGU. Each codon is then translated into an amino acid according to the genetic code. Here, AUG codes for Methionine, which also serves as the start codon, GGC codes for Glycine, CUA codes for Leucine, and AGU codes for Serine. Thus, the polypeptide encoded by this gene would consist of four amino acids.