Process
Translation
Ribosomes read messenger RNA three bases at a time and join the matching amino acids into a protein.
Genetic code
The rules that match each three-base codon to an amino acid or a stop signal. Nearly all living things share the same code.Source: Nirenberg & Matthaei, 1961Source: Crick et al., 1961Source: NHGRISource: OpenStax, 2018
Also called codon.
Idea or model
How Genetic code connects
Genetic code is involved in
Studied in
Your progress
Sources & further reading
The explanations on this page are our own summaries of these sources. Follow a link to read the original; if anything here disagrees with it, the original wins. How we choose and check sources.
The dependence of cell-free protein synthesis in E. coli upon naturally occurring or synthetic polyribonucleotides (opens the original in a new tab)
Nirenberg MW, Matthaei JH (1961). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 47:1588-1602.
First codon assignment: poly-U RNA directs synthesis of polyphenylalanine.
Historical paperPrimary researchGeneral nature of the genetic code for proteins (opens the original in a new tab)
Crick FH, Barnett L, Brenner S, et al. (1961). Nature 192:1227-1232.
Frameshift experiments indicating the code is read in non-overlapping triplets.
Historical paperPrimary researchCodon (opens the original in a new tab)
National Human Genome Research Institute. Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms. National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH.
ReferenceGovernment sourceEducationalBiology 2e (opens the original in a new tab)
OpenStax (2018). OpenStax, Rice University.
Free introductory college textbook.
TextbookEducationalLicence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (linked, not reused)