Here's a breakdown:
* Nucleotides: The building blocks of DNA and RNA. They consist of a sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T) in DNA, or uracil (U) in RNA.
* Triplet: A group of three nucleotides.
* Amino acid: The building blocks of proteins. There are 20 different amino acids commonly found in proteins.
The Genetic Code:
The relationship between codons and amino acids is called the genetic code. It's a set of rules that determines which amino acid is encoded by each codon.
* Redundancy: The genetic code is redundant, meaning that multiple codons can code for the same amino acid.
* Universality: The genetic code is largely universal, meaning it is the same in almost all living organisms.
Example:
The codon "AUG" codes for the amino acid methionine. This codon also serves as the start codon, initiating protein synthesis.
Importance:
Codons are fundamental to the process of protein synthesis. They provide the instructions for assembling amino acids into proteins, which carry out a wide variety of functions in the body. Any change in the sequence of codons in a gene can lead to a change in the protein sequence, potentially altering its function or even causing disease.