what is a codon and what is its role in protein synthesis?

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides found on messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes a specific amino acid or signals the termination of protein synthesis. In protein synthesis, codons play a crucial role by determining the sequence of amino acids in a protein. The ribosome reads these codons one by one as it moves along the mRNA strand during translation. Each codon corresponds to a particular amino acid, which transfer RNA (tRNA) brings to the ribosome. The tRNA has an anticodon complementary to the mRNA codon, ensuring the correct amino acid is added to the growing polypeptide chain. The process continues until a stop codon is encountered, signaling the end of protein synthesis. Thus, codons are essential for specifying the primary structure of proteins.