kodons

Kodons, in Turkish usage, refer to the triplet units of genetic code that specify amino acids or signals during protein synthesis. The English equivalent is codon. Kodons are defined in DNA and RNA: in DNA the letters are A, C, G, T; in RNA T is replaced by U. During transcription, the DNA sequence is copied into mRNA, which is read in consecutive kodons by ribosomes.

Each kodon consists of three nucleotides; there are 64 possible kodons. Most kodons encode amino acids; three kodons function as stop signals to terminate translation. The start kodon is AUG in mRNA, coding for methionine and marking the beginning of translation.

The genetic code is degenerate: multiple kodons can code for the same amino acid, reducing potential impact of point mutations. However, changes in the first two nucleotides are more likely to alter amino acid identity than changes in the third (wobble).

Universality and variation: The code is nearly universal among organisms, with some exceptions in mitochondria and in certain protozoa or ciliates where alternative kodons exist. Codon bias describes organism-specific preferences for certain kodons, affecting translation efficiency.

In linguistics and education, kodon terminology is used in Turkish-language texts and discussions to refer to the standard codon concept, often alongside the English term. Outside Turkish contexts, the term codon is commonly used.