Start codon
Start Codon
A Start Codon (/stɑːrt ˈkoʊdɒn/), in the field of Molecular Biology, is a specific nucleotide triplet in mRNA that signals the start of translation.
Etymology
The term "Start Codon" is derived from the English words "start", meaning to begin, and "codon", a term coined by Marshall Nirenberg and Heinrich J. Matthaei in 1961 to describe a series of three nucleotides.
Function
The Start Codon always codes for methionine in eukaryotes and a modified Met (fMet) in prokaryotes. The most common start codon is AUG. The Start Codon is often preceded by a 5' untranslated region (5' UTR). In bacteria and archaea, this is known as the Shine-Dalgarno sequence, which helps recruit the ribosome to the mRNA to initiate protein synthesis by aligning the ribosome with the start codon.
Related Terms
- Stop Codon: A nucleotide triplet within mRNA that signals the end of translation.
- Codon: A sequence of three DNA or RNA nucleotides that corresponds with a specific amino acid or stop signal during protein synthesis.
- Translation (biology): The process by which a protein is synthesized from the information contained in a molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA).
- mRNA: Messenger RNA, a type of RNA that carries the genetic information copied from DNA in the form of a series of three-base code “words,” each of which specifies a particular amino acid.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Start codon
- Wikipedia's article - Start codon
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