Final answer:
Codon bias is the name given to the phenomenon where synonymous codons are not present in equal numbers. Due to the redundancy in the genetic code, most amino acids are encoded by more than one codon, leading to error minimization. This prevents proteins from being nonfunctional due to mutations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon of codon usage bias, where synonymous codons are not present in equal numbers, is known as codon bias. In the genetic code, most amino acids are encoded by more than one codon, except for methionine and tryptophan. This redundancy in the code allows for error minimization, as a single-nucleotide substitution mutation might specify the same amino acid or a similar one, preventing the protein from being nonfunctional.
Codon bias refers to the phenomenon where specific codons are used preferentially over others for the same amino acid, despite the redundancy of the genetic code.
The phenomenon of certain codons being used more frequently than others for the same amino acid is known as codon bias. Codon bias is not random, and specific codons are preferred over others. This preference can be influenced by various factors such as gene expression levels, tRNA abundance, and the evolutionary history of the organism.
Each amino acid can be encoded by multiple codons (a feature called degeneracy), with the third position of the codon (the wobble position) often being less critical for determining the amino acid than the first two positions. While 61 of the 64 codons specify amino acids, the rest are stop codons. The redundancy of the genetic code, with more than one codon per amino acid, helps reduce the impact of mutations, as changes might still specify the same or a chemically similar amino acid, avoiding drastic effects on the protein's function.