SENSE CODONS Meaning and
Definition
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Sense codons, also known as coding codons or sense triplets, are a fundamental concept in molecular biology and genetics. They refer to specific sequences of three nucleotides within a DNA or RNA molecule that encode for a particular amino acid. These codons play a crucial role in the process of protein synthesis.
Proteins are composed of long chains of amino acids. The information needed for the production of proteins is encoded in the DNA molecules present in the cells. However, DNA cannot directly participate in protein synthesis. It first needs to be transcribed into a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA), which carries the genetic code to the ribosomes, where proteins are synthesized.
Sense codons act as intermediaries in this process. Each sense codon corresponds to a particular amino acid. For instance, the codon AUG is the start codon that signals the initiation of protein synthesis and codes for the amino acid methionine.
There are 64 different sense codons that can be produced by various combinations of the four nucleotides—adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) in DNA or uracil (U) in RNA. The degeneracy of the genetic code allows for multiple codons to specify the same amino acid, with some exceptions. This redundancy provides flexibility and robustness in the process of protein synthesis, reducing the potential impact of errors or mutations.
In conclusion, sense codons are specific nucleotide sequences within DNA or RNA that encode for amino acids, playing a vital role in the translation of the genetic code into proteins.
Common Misspellings for SENSE CODONS
- aense codons
- zense codons
- xense codons
- dense codons
- eense codons
- wense codons
- swnse codons
- ssnse codons
- sdnse codons
- srnse codons
- s4nse codons
- s3nse codons
- sebse codons
- semse codons
- sejse codons
- sehse codons
- senae codons
- senze codons
- senxe codons
- sende codons
Etymology of SENSE CODONS
The term "Sense Codons" is derived from the combination of two components: "sense" and "codons".
The word "sense" in this context refers to the sense or meaning of something. In genetics, it specifically relates to the functional or coding sequences of DNA or RNA. In this case, "sense" refers to the codons that encode for specific amino acids during protein synthesis.
The term "codons" refers to a set of three nucleotides (adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or thymine (T) in DNA, or adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or uracil (U) in RNA) that specify a particular amino acid or act as stop signals during protein synthesis. These codons are read by molecular machinery, such as ribosomes, to translate the genetic information into proteins.
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