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Which nucleotide in a tRNA anticodon would bind to the U nucleotide in an mRNA codon?

User Tkincher
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Final answer:In RNA, the adenine (A) nucleotide of the tRNA anticodon would bind to the uracil (U) nucleotide in the mRNA codon. The tRNA anticodon is complementary to the mRNA codon, ensuring that the correct amino acid is added to the growing polypeptide chain during protein synthesis.Explanation:In the process of translation, the tRNA molecule carries an amino acid to the ribosome and pairs its anticodon with a corresponding codon on the mRNA. The anticodon is a specific three-nucleotide sequence on the tRNA that is complementary to the mRNA codon.For a U nucleotide in an mRNA codon, the tRNA anticodon that would bind is an A (adenine) nucleotide because in RNA, A pairs with U. It should be noted that the anticodon's ability to pair with the mRNA codon is independent of the amino acid that the tRNA molecule might carry due to modification. The codon-anticodon interaction ensures accurate translation of genetic information from mRNA to protein.For example, if the sequence CUA occurred on an mRNA template, it would bind a tRNA with the complementary anti-codon sequence, GAU. This tRNA would typically be linked to the amino acid leucine. Even if a tRNA is chemically modified to carry a different amino acid, the anticodon will still recognize and bind to the codon specified by its anticodon sequence, not the one that matches the modified amino acid it carries.

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User Jerod Johnson
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