aminosyrekoden

The amino acid code, also known as the genetic code, is the set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material (DNA or RNA sequences) is translated into proteins by living cells. Specifically, it describes how a sequence of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of nucleic acids, specifies the sequence of amino acids that make up a protein. The code is read in groups of three nucleotides called codons. Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid, or in some cases, a signal to terminate protein synthesis.

There are 64 possible codons, formed by the four nucleotide bases adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U) in RNA. Of these 64 codons, 61 code for the 20 standard amino acids, while the remaining three are stop codons that signal the end of translation. The genetic code is largely universal across all known life forms, though there are some minor variations found in certain organisms and organelles. This universality is a strong piece of evidence for a common ancestor of all life. The redundancy in the code, where multiple codons can specify the same amino acid, helps to buffer against mutations. Understanding the amino acid code is fundamental to molecular biology and has numerous applications in fields like genetic engineering and medicine.