What is the Difference Between Unambiguous and Degenerate Code?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The difference between unambiguous and degenerate code lies in the way the genetic code encodes amino acids:
- Unambiguous code: In an unambiguous code, each codon (a sequence of three nucleotide bases) encodes for only one specific amino acid, and there is no confusion or ambiguity in the coding. This means that a single codon can only code for one amino acid, and all living organisms have the same code for coding amino acids.
- Degenerate code: In a degenerate code, more than one triplet sequence can code for a specific amino acid. This means that there is redundancy in the genetic code, and most amino acids are encoded by more than one triplet. The genetic code is degenerate because many codons may code for the same amino acid.
In summary, an unambiguous code has a one-to-one correspondence between codons and amino acids, while a degenerate code has more than one codon encoding for the same amino acid, resulting in redundancy in the genetic code.
Comparative Table: Unambiguous vs Degenerate Code
Here is a table comparing unambiguous and degenerate codes:
Feature | Unambiguous Code | Degenerate Code |
---|---|---|
Definition | Each codon specifies only one amino acid. | One amino acid may be specified by more than one codon. |
Examples | Codon GGA only codes for glycine, and does not code for any other amino acids. | Phenylalanine has two codons, UUU and UUC. |
Codons | The genetic code has the ability to specify each amino acid with only one codon. | The genetic code specifies some amino acids with more than one codon. |
In summary, unambiguous code is a type of genetic code where each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid, while degenerate code is a type of genetic code where one amino acid may be specified by more than one codon. The genetic code is both unambiguous and degenerate, as while a particular codon always codes for the same amino acid, some amino acids are specified by multiple codons.
- Genetic Code vs Codon
- Accidental Degeneracy vs Normal Degeneracy
- Wobble vs Degeneracy
- Degenerate vs Non-degenerate Semiconductor
- Ambiguous vs Ambivalent
- Encoding vs Decoding
- Source Code vs Object Code
- Coding vs Noncoding DNA
- Encoding vs Modulation
- Source Code vs Bytecode
- Consensus vs Unanimity
- Codon vs Anticodon
- Machine Dependent vs Machine Independent Code Optimization
- Codominance vs Multiple Alleles
- Lexical vs Structural Ambiguity
- Dominance vs Codominance
- Hybrid vs Degenerate Orbitals
- Encoder vs Decoder
- Modulation vs Demodulation