What is the term for a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that specifies an amino acid?

What is the term for a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that specifies an amino acid?

• A. Anticodon
• B. Operon
• C. Intron
• D. Codon

Answer: (D)

A codon is the term for a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that specifies an amino acid. The genetic code assigns each triplet to a particular amino acid (or a signal to start or stop). During translation, the ribosome reads mRNA in these triplets, and tRNA molecules deliver the matching amino acids via their own three-nucleotide anticodons, ensuring the correct sequence is assembled. Anticodon refers to the corresponding three-nucleotide region on tRNA that pairs with the codon, not the mRNA sequence itself. An operon is a prokaryotic gene regulation unit, and an intron is a noncoding region that’s removed during RNA processing. Remember, there are 64 possible codons, with some signaling the start or stop of translation and others encoding amino acids.

A codon is the term for a three-nucleotide sequence in mRNA that specifies an amino acid. The genetic code assigns each triplet to a particular amino acid (or a signal to start or stop). During translation, the ribosome reads mRNA in these triplets, and tRNA molecules deliver the matching amino acids via their own three-nucleotide anticodons, ensuring the correct sequence is assembled. Anticodon refers to the corresponding three-nucleotide region on tRNA that pairs with the codon, not the mRNA sequence itself. An operon is a prokaryotic gene regulation unit, and an intron is a noncoding region that’s removed during RNA processing. Remember, there are 64 possible codons, with some signaling the start or stop of translation and others encoding amino acids.