Which term describes a sequence of three nucleotides that codes for an amino acid?

Which term describes a sequence of three nucleotides that codes for an amino acid?

• A. Haploid cell
• B. Alleles
• C. mRNA
• D. Codon/Triplet

Answer: (D)

A sequence of three nucleotides that codes for an amino acid is called a codon, or triplet. In translation, the ribosome reads mRNA in these three-nucleotide units, and each codon specifies which amino acid will be added next to the growing protein. There are 64 possible codons (four nucleotides raised to the power of three), and while most amino acids are specified by more than one codon, the system as a whole links specific three-nucleotide sequences to specific amino acids. Some codons act as signals to stop translation. The other terms refer to different concepts: a haploid cell relates to chromosome number, alleles are different versions of a gene, and mRNA is the molecule that carries the codons from DNA to the ribosome.

A sequence of three nucleotides that codes for an amino acid is called a codon, or triplet. In translation, the ribosome reads mRNA in these three-nucleotide units, and each codon specifies which amino acid will be added next to the growing protein. There are 64 possible codons (four nucleotides raised to the power of three), and while most amino acids are specified by more than one codon, the system as a whole links specific three-nucleotide sequences to specific amino acids. Some codons act as signals to stop translation. The other terms refer to different concepts: a haploid cell relates to chromosome number, alleles are different versions of a gene, and mRNA is the molecule that carries the codons from DNA to the ribosome.