geneORF

geneORF refers to an open reading frame within a gene sequence. An open reading frame is a continuous stretch of codons in a DNA or RNA sequence that has the potential to be translated into a protein. It begins with a start codon, typically AUG, and ends with a stop codon, such as UAA, UAG, or UGA. The sequence between the start and stop codons consists of triplets of nucleotides called codons, each specifying an amino acid.

The identification of gene ORFs is a fundamental step in gene prediction and annotation. Researchers use computational tools to scan DNA or RNA sequences for potential ORFs. These tools analyze the sequence in all six possible reading frames (three on each strand of the DNA) to identify all potential start and stop codons and the sequences between them.

Not all identified ORFs correspond to functional genes. The length of an ORF is often considered a criterion for its potential biological significance, with longer ORFs being more likely to encode functional proteins. Further analysis, such as comparing the predicted amino acid sequence to known protein databases or examining the presence of regulatory elements, is necessary to confirm if an ORF represents a true gene. The term geneORF is sometimes used interchangeably with "coding sequence" or "CDS" when referring to the portion of a gene that is transcribed and translated.