Final answer:
The maximum number of nucleotides in the DNA template strand that codes for a 300 amino acid long eukaryotic protein is 900. This is calculated by multiplying the number of amino acids by three, as each amino acid is coded by a triplet of nucleotides (a codon).
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking for the maximum number of nucleotides required to code for a protein that is 300 amino acids long. Proteins are synthesized from mRNA, which in turn is transcribed from a DNA template. Each amino acid in a protein is coded for by a triplet of nucleotides, also known as a codon. Since there are 300 amino acids, we need 300 codons to code for them. As each codon is made up of three nucleotides, we need to multiply the number of amino acids by three to find the number of nucleotides.
To determine the maximum number of nucleotides on the DNA template strand that encode for a 300 amino acid long protein, we multiply the number of amino acids by the number of nucleotides per codon. Therefore, 300 amino acids times 3 nucleotides per codon equals 900 nucleotides (300 x 3 = 900). Consequently, the correct answer is 900 nucleotides (Option d).