Many textbooks state There is redundancy in the genetic code

Many textbooks state \"There is redundancy in the genetic code, but no ambiguity\". In other words, the genetic code is repetitive, but cannot be misread or misunderstood. How can the genetic code be redundant without being ambiguous? Provide an example using the dictionary of the genetic code. Any change in the genetic material of a cell is known as mutation. A mutation that affects only one base pair of the genetic code is known as a point Changes in DNA may involve base pair substitutions (when one base pair is changed for another) or base pair insertions or deletions (when base pairs are added or removed). Refer to Figure 17.24 (Types of small-scale mutations that affect mRNA sequence) for the types of mutations that a point mutation can cause Use the following mRNA sequence to generate a protein:

Solution

The genetic code is said to be redundant because some (but not all) of the amino acids have more than one possible codon coding for them.

The genetic code is not ambiguous because there is no instance of any codon coding for more than 1 amino acid.

Example:

codons GAA and GAG both specify glutamic acid and exhibit redundancy; but, neither specifies any other amino acid and thus are not ambiguous or demonstrate no ambiguity.