Question

Tryptophan (Trp) is encoded by UGG, phenylalanine (Phe) is encoded by UUU and UUC, isoleucine (Ile) is encoded by AUU, AUC, and AUA, and glycine (Gly) is encoded by GGU, GGC, GGA and GGG. The maximum number of RNA segments with unique sequences that can encode the polypeptide Ile-Phe-Trp-Ile-Gly-Trp would be ............

Hint:

The number of possible RNA sequences is the product of the number of codons for each amino acid in the polypeptide.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 72

Step 1: Understand the codons.
The amino acids are encoded by the following codons:
- Ile is encoded by 3 codons: AUU, AUC, AUA.
- Phe is encoded by 2 codons: UUU, UUC.
- Trp is encoded by 1 codon: UGG.
- Gly is encoded by 4 codons: GGU, GGC, GGA, GGG.
Step 2: Calculate the total number of combinations.
The number of unique sequences can be calculated by multiplying the number of codons for each amino acid: \[ 3 \times 2 \times 1 \times 4 \times 1 = 24 \] Step 3: Conclusion.
Thus, the correct answer is \( \boxed{64} \).