Codons

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in DNA or RNA that codes for a specific amino acid or start and stop signals for protein synthesis. Codons are also known as triplets.

There are 64 different codons:

• 61 specify amino acids
• 3 are used as stop signals

For example, the codon AAA specifies the amino acid lysine, and the codon CCC specifies the amino acid proline.

Codons are part of the genetic code. DNA and RNA molecules are written in a language of four nucleotides, while the language of proteins includes 20 amino acids.

The degenerate code, also known as the redundancy of the genetic code, refers to the fact that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid during protein synthesis.

Videos

Start and Stop Codons

What is Codon and Anti-Codon ? Difference and Working Explained

How to use a codon chart: