Question

the figure below represents a trna molecule that recognizes and binds a particular amino acid (in this instance, phenylalanine). which codon on the mrna strand codes for this amino acid?
options: ugg, gug, gua, uuc

Explanation:

To determine the mRNA codon, we first identify the tRNA anticodon. The tRNA's anticodon base - pairs with the mRNA codon, and in RNA, adenine (A) pairs with uracil (U), and guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C). From the tRNA structure, we find the anticodon (the three - nucleotide sequence that pairs with mRNA). For phenylalanine - carrying tRNA, we know the genetic code rules. The tRNA anticodon for phenylalanine - related tRNA (we analyze the base - pairing) should pair with the mRNA codon. The tRNA anticodon that pairs with UUC (mRNA codon) would be AAG (but we focus on the mRNA codon here). Among the options, UUC is a codon that codes for phenylalanine. We check the base - pairing: if the tRNA anticodon is AAG, it pairs with UUC (A - U, A - U, G - C). The other options (UGG, GUG, GUA) do not code for phenylalanine. UGG codes for tryptophan, GUG codes for valine, and GUA also codes for valine. So the correct mRNA codon that codes for phenylalanine is UUC.

Answer:

D. UUC