Codons are triplets of nucleotides that code for amino acids or signals in protein synthesis. Since there are four nucleotides (adenine, thymine/uracil, cytosine, guanine) and codons are three nucleotides long, the total number of possible codons is 4^3 = 64. Of these 64, 61 code for amino acids and 3 are stop codons signaling termination of translation. Key points:
- Codon length: three nucleotides (a triplet)
- Nucleotide options: four bases, leading to 4^3 = 64 possible codons
- Functional outcomes: 61 codons specify amino acids, 3 are stop signals (in the standard genetic code)
If you’d like, I can briefly explain degeneracy (how multiple codons can encode the same amino acid) and how stop codons are used in translation termination.
