Nucleic Acid Code

The nucleic acid code is the system by which the information encoded in a DNA molecule is translated into the amino acid sequence of a protein. DNA consists of 4 nucleotides - adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. The specific sequence of these nucleotides in DNA is called a genome.

The nucleic acid code works as follows:

1. A gene in DNA is transcribed into an RNA molecule. In this case, uracil is used instead of thymine.

2. The RNA molecule undergoes a splicing process, which removes non-coding regions.

3. Mature mRNA interacts with the ribosome.

4. Triples of nucleotides in mRNA, called codons, determine which amino acid will be added to the growing polypeptide chain.

5. Each codon corresponds to a strictly defined amino acid. This correspondence is called the genetic code.

6. The ribosome reads the codon sequence in the mRNA and, based on the genetic code, synthesizes a polypeptide with a specific amino acid sequence.

Thus, using the nucleic acid code, the cell can translate the nucleotide sequence of DNA into the amino acid sequence of protein. This mechanism underlies protein biosynthesis in all living organisms.