How many different trinucleotides can be made using the DNA nucleotides?
Correct answer: D. 64
- A. 4
- B. 16
- C. 20
- D. 64
Explanation
Since there are four nucleotides and each trinucleotide consists of three bases, the total number of possible combinations is 43 = 64. However, since DNA is double-stranded and complementary, some combinations will be the reverse complement of others. For instance, the trinucleotide "ATG" would pair with "CAT" on the complementary strand. Therefore, the actual number of unique trinucleotides is half of 64, which is 32.
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DNA structure includes nucleotides made of deoxyribose, phosphate and nitrogenous bases, arranged in two antiparallel polynucleotide strands. Questions cover the double helix, phosphodiester and hydrogen bonds, complementary base pairing between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine, and the significance of major and minor grooves.
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