anticodon

[an-tee-koh-don, an-tahy-]

noun

Genetics.

1. a sequence of three nucleotides in a region of transfer RNA that recognizes a complementary coding triplet of nucleotides in messenger RNA during translation by the ribosomes in protein biosynthesis.

anticodon

1. A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides in transfer RNA that binds to a corresponding codon in messenger RNA and designates a specific amino acid during protein synthesis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of anticodon¹

First recorded in 1960–65; anti- + codon

Example Sentences

Corresponding secondary structure is in d. c, Top and side views of the vRNA–tRNA model generated using previously hypothesized tRNA secondary structures that have the anticodon and D-stem loops independently folded.

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The different domains are coloured and correspond with the models in panels b and c. e, Secondary-structure depiction of the old vRNA–tRNA fold with independent anticodon and D-stem loops.

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Shimizu, M., Asahara, H., Tamura, K., Hasegawa, T. & Himeno, H. The role of anticodon bases and the discriminator nucleotide in the recognition of some E. coli tRNAs by their aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.

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