Chapter 15, Problem 2IQ

Summary Introduction

To describe: Why the genetic code is believed to be nearly universal.

Introduction: To convert genotype to phenotype, the conversion of information saved in the DNA to proteins is required. The central dogma describes the flow of information is one direction (DNA to RNA, and RNA to proteins). The flow of information from DNA to RNA is referred to as transcription, while the flow of information from RNA to protein is referred to as translation. In the process of transcription, only one strand of the DNA is required to be copied. The synthesis of RNA (single-stranded) directed by DNA (double-stranded) is carried out using the enzyme RNA polymerase.