The codon wheel helps determine what feature of a protein?

The codon wheel helps determine what feature of a protein?

• A. The amino acid sequence
• B. The tertiary structure
• C. The chromosomal location
• D. The lipid composition

Answer: (A)

Understanding codons and amino acids is the key idea. A codon wheel maps each three-nucleotide codon in mRNA to the specific amino acid it encodes, so reading a gene’s codons gives the exact sequence of amino acids in the protein. That sequence builds the protein’s primary structure. The wheel doesn’t tell you about how the protein folds into its three-dimensional shape, where the gene sits on a chromosome, or what lipids are associated with the protein, so those aspects aren’t determined by the codon-to-amino-acid translation.

Understanding codons and amino acids is the key idea. A codon wheel maps each three-nucleotide codon in mRNA to the specific amino acid it encodes, so reading a gene’s codons gives the exact sequence of amino acids in the protein. That sequence builds the protein’s primary structure. The wheel doesn’t tell you about how the protein folds into its three-dimensional shape, where the gene sits on a chromosome, or what lipids are associated with the protein, so those aspects aren’t determined by the codon-to-amino-acid translation.