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Codon |
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codon: see nucleic acid nucleic acid, any of a group of organic substances found in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that play a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis.
..... Click the link for more information. . codon [′kō‚dän] (genetics) The basic unit of the genetic code, comprising sequential, nonoverlapping three-nucleotide sequences in messenger ribonucleic acid, each of which is translated into one amino acid; 61 of the 64 codons code for a specific protein synthesis; the other 3 are stop codons that specify termination of the growing polypeptide or protein chain. Codon a coding unit, a set of three nucleotides (triplet) that determines the position of a particular amino acid in a polypeptide chain synthesized under the control of a gene. A codon is a unit of the genetic code by means of which all the genetic information is “recorded” in DNA and RNA molecules. Many amino acids have more than one codon (so-called degeneracy of the code). There are three codons which do not code amino acids; rather, they determine the beginning or end of the synthesis of a polypeptide chain. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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