Wobble hypothesis
There are more than one codon for one amino acid. This is called degeneracy of genetic code.
To explain the possible cause of degeneracy of codons, in 1966, Francis Crick proposed “the
Wobble hypothesis”.
According to The Wobble Hypothesis, only the first two bases of the codon have a precise
pairing with the bases of the anticodon of tRNA, while the pairing between the third bases of
codon and anticodon may Wobble (wobble means to sway or move unsteadily).
The phenomenon permits a single tRNA to recognize more than one codon. Therefore, although
there are 61 codons for amino acids, the number of tRNA is far less (around 40) which is due to
wobbling.
The Wobble Hypothesis Statement
The wobble hypothesis states that the base at 5′ end of the anticodon is not spatially confined
as the other two bases allowing it to form hydrogen bonds with any of several bases located at
the 3′ end of a codon.
This leads to the following conclusions:
The first two bases of the codon make normal (canonical) H-bond pairs with the 2nd and 3rd
bases of the anticodon.
At the remaining position, less stringent rules apply and non-canonical pairing may occur. The
There are more than one codon for one amino acid. This is called degeneracy of genetic code.
To explain the possible cause of degeneracy of codons, in 1966, Francis Crick proposed “the
Wobble hypothesis”.
According to The Wobble Hypothesis, only the first two bases of the codon have a precise
pairing with the bases of the anticodon of tRNA, while the pairing between the third bases of
codon and anticodon may Wobble (wobble means to sway or move unsteadily).
The phenomenon permits a single tRNA to recognize more than one codon. Therefore, although
there are 61 codons for amino acids, the number of tRNA is far less (around 40) which is due to
wobbling.
The Wobble Hypothesis Statement
The wobble hypothesis states that the base at 5′ end of the anticodon is not spatially confined
as the other two bases allowing it to form hydrogen bonds with any of several bases located at
the 3′ end of a codon.
This leads to the following conclusions:
The first two bases of the codon make normal (canonical) H-bond pairs with the 2nd and 3rd
bases of the anticodon.
At the remaining position, less stringent rules apply and non-canonical pairing may occur. The
