Framing of coding dictionary

Characteristics of the Genetic Code

The genetic code has the following key characteristics:

1. Triplet Nature → Each codon consists of three nucleotides (e.g., AUG, UUU, GGA).

2. Universality → The genetic code is nearly universal, meaning that most organisms use the same codons for the same amino acids. (Exceptions exist in mitochondria and some microorganisms.)

3. Degeneracy (Redundancy) → Multiple codons can code for the same amino acid. For example, Leucine (Leu) is encoded by UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, and CUG.

4. Non-Overlapping → Codons are read one after another, without overlap (e.g., AUGUUUCAA is read as AUG - UUU - CAA, not AUG - GUU - UCA).

5. Commaless → There are no breaks between codons; the sequence is read continuously from the start codon.

6. Unambiguous → Each codon codes for only one specific amino acid (e.g., UUU always codes for Phenylalanine).

7. Start and Stop Codons: AUG (Methionine) acts as the start codon for translation. UAA, UAG, and UGA are stop codons that signal termination of protein synthesis.

8. Wobble Hypothesis → The third nucleotide of a codon is flexible (wobbles), allowing one tRNA to recognize multiple codons (e.g., GGU, GGC, GGA, and GGG all code for Glycine).