Final answer:
The student's question addresses the wobble hypothesis in codon-anticodon interactions, which posits that while the first two bases of a codon need to match exactly with their complementary anticodon bases, the pairing of the third base is flexible. This flexibility allows for fewer tRNAs to recognize multiple codons that code for the same amino acid, enhancing the efficiency of protein translation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept in question refers to the codon-anticodon interaction and the flexibility of base pairing at the third position of the codon, also known as the wobble hypothesis. In this hypothesis, the first two bases of the codon are critical for ensuring the correct pairing with the corresponding bases of the anticodon. The base-pairing rules, as defined by Watson and Crick, imply that these bases should form specific matches: adenine (A) with uracil (U) in RNA, and cytosine (C) with guanine (G). However, the third base of the codon and the first base of the anticodon have more flexible pairing possibilities. This flexibility allows a single tRNA to recognize multiple codons, each of which may differ at the third nucleotide position but code for the same amino acid.
For example, the anticodon with the base inosinate (I) is able to form hydrogen bonds with U, C, and A, allowing it to pair with codons differing in the third position. This wobble base pairing enhances the efficiency of protein translation by reducing the need for a strict one-to-one correspondence between tRNAs and codons, thus allowing a fewer number of tRNAs to recognize all possible codons for an amino acid.