stop codon
Americannoun
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Any of three codons in a molecule of messenger RNA that do not code for an amino acid and thereby signal the termination of the synthesis of a protein. The three stop codons are UAA, UAG, and UGA, where U is uracil, A is adenine, and G is guanine.
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Also called termination codon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That later study also found that UAA remains the preferred stop codon in those phyllopharyngean ciliates, while UAG has repeatedly shifted into a protein coding role.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
PL0344, only TGA appears to function as a stop codon.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
They swapped out the same stop codon in E. coli, but they added another layer of protection.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 19, 2022
The stop codon ends translation in order to initiate transcription.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The stop codon is necessary to initiate translation.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
