Translation
The reading frame groups nucleotides into nonoverlapping triplets. Initiation establishes that frame, elongation adds amino acids through peptide bonds, and termination releases the polypeptide. The genetic code is redundant: several codons can specify one amino acid, but an individual codon has one meaning in a given code. Sequence influences folding and function. A correct tRNA anticodon is not enough if that tRNA has been loaded with the wrong amino acid.
MAKE IT CONCRETE
For 5′-AUG GCU UAA-3′, translation produces Met–Ala and then stops. UAA is a termination signal; it is not a bonus amino acid.
DON’T FALL FOR THIS
Do not read a DNA template directly from a codon chart. Charts describe mRNA codons, and codons must be read in the established frame.