Question

What is the MOST likely length of an mRNA that will code for a polypeptide with 150 amino acids?

Group of answer choices

450 nucleotides

All of these lengths are possible depending on the organism in which the mRNA is found.

50 nucleotides

>450 nucleotides

150 nucleotides

Answer 1

The most likely length of an mRNA molecule coding for a polypeptide with 150 amino acids is 450 nucleotides, as each amino acid is encoded by a triplet codon. The calculation is achieved by multiplying the number of amino acids by three.

Step-by-step explanation:

The length of mRNA that codes for a polypeptide with 150 amino acids is most likely 450 nucleotides. This is because each amino acid in the polypeptide is coded for by a set of three nucleotides, known as a codon. Since each of the 150 amino acids requires a codon to be produced, we multiply 150 by 3 to get the total number of nucleotides, which gives us 450. Additionally, this does not account for the mRNA components such as the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR), 3' UTR, and the poly-A tail, which may further increase the total length of the mRNA molecule.

Answer 2

The most likely length of an mRNA that codes for a 150-amino-acid polypeptide is 450 nucleotides, as each amino acid is coded by a three-nucleotide-long triplet codon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely length of an mRNA that will code for a polypeptide with 150 amino acids is 450 nucleotides. Each amino acid in the polypeptide is defined by a three-nucleotide sequence called a triplet codon, so for 150 amino acids, 150 x 3 = 450 nucleotides are required. It's worth noting that the actual mRNA molecule may be slightly longer due to the presence of untranslated regions at both the 5' and 3' ends as well as the start codon (AUG), which initiates translation but also codes for methionine, the first amino acid of the protein.