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Cracking the DNA Code

Scientists determined which codons coded for which amino acids. Nirenberg's experiments were as follows:Cell extracts were treated with DNase.Synthetic mRNA and tRNA attached to all 20 amino acids was added.The amino acids were radioactively labelled with carbon-14.The cell extracts were incubated and the polypeptides extracted.The radioactivity level of the polypeptides was measured.

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Specification: AQA Biology (7401), AS-level, 3.4.1 DNA, genes and chromosomes and 3.4.2 DNA and protein synthesis. Topic: DNA, Genes and Protein Synthesis.

Key terms in this lesson

codon
A sequence of three bases on mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid or a stop signal.
genetic diversity
The variety of alleles present within the gene pool of a population or species.

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