genetic code
genetic code The set of correspondences between base (nucleotide pair) triplets in DNA and amino acids in protein. These base triplets carry the genetic information for protein synthesis. For example, the triplet CAA (cytosine, adenine, adenine) codes for valine. The code is universal, but degenerate, in that certain amino acids are coded for by more than one codon, and the codon bias (the preferred codon for a particular amino acid from the several possible choices) differs somewhat in different organisms and is different in nuclear, mitochondrial, and chlorophyll DNA.
abbreviation | codons | |
|---|---|---|
alanine | Ala | GCA, GCC, GCG, GCU |
arginine | Arg | AGA, AGG, CGA, CGG, CGC, CGU |
asparaginine | Asn | AAC, AAU |
Asp | GAC, GAU | |
cysteine | Cys | UGC, UGU |
Glu | GAA, GAG | |
glutamine | Gln | CAA, CAG |
glycine | Gly | GGA, GGC, GGG, GGU |
histidine | His | CAC, CAU |
isoleucine | Ile | AUA, AUC, AUU |
leucine | Leu | CUA, CUC, CUG, CUU, UUA, UUG |
lysine | Lys | AAA, AAG |
methionine | Met | AUG |
phenylalanine | Phe | UUC, UUU |
proline | Pro | CCA, CCC, CCG, CCU |
serine | Ser | AGC, AGU, UCA, UCC, UCG, UCU |
threonine | Trp | ACA, ACC, ACG, ACU |
tryptophan | Trp | UGG |
tyrosine | Tyr | UAC, UAU |
valine | Val | GUA, GUC, GUG, GUU |
stop codon | UAA, UAG, UGA |
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genetic code
