What is the primary consequence of the wobble hypothesis for tRNA usage?

• A. It enforces strict Watson-Crick base pairing at all codon positions.
• B. It changes ribosome structure to accommodate nonstandard amino acids.
• C. It allows noncanonical base pairing at the third codon position, enabling a single tRNA to recognize multiple codons for the same amino acid.
• D. It eliminates degeneracy in the genetic code.

Answer: (C)

The wobble hypothesis shows that base pairing at the third codon position can be flexible, so the pairing between codon and tRNA anticodon does not have to be strictly Watson-Crick. This flexibility means a single tRNA anticodon can recognize multiple codons that encode the same amino acid, allowing one tRNA to pair with several codons during translation.

This is the primary consequence because it explains why the genetic code is degenerate—multiple codons can specify the same amino acid—and it helps keep translation efficient by reducing the number of different tRNAs needed. It’s not about changing ribosome structure, and it doesn’t eliminate degeneracy; it is the mechanism that makes degeneracy possible. For example, certain anticodons can pair through wobble with different codons, thanks to noncanonical interactions at the third position.