Stop codon

<p>In <a href="/facts/Molecular_biology/YgqU35ub">molecular biology</a>, a stop codon (or termination codon) is a <a href="/facts/Genetic_code/zUK0bY1B">codon</a> (<a href="/facts/Nucleotide/pQKEwlJI">nucleotide</a> triplet within <a href="/facts/Messenger_RNA/oUL6qxQn">messenger RNA</a>) that signals the termination of the <a href="/facts/Translation_(biology)/JcPC1rth">translation</a> process of the current <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">protein</a>. Most codons in messenger RNA correspond to the addition of an <a href="/facts/Amino_acid/WDxYwBny">amino acid</a> to a growing <a href="/facts/Polypeptide/C4ltc7UG">polypeptide</a> chain, which may ultimately become a protein; stop codons signal the termination of this process by binding <a href="/facts/Release_factor/bo6MPRhd">release factors</a>, which cause the <a href="/facts/Ribosome/CF2u2gtg">ribosomal</a> subunits to disassociate, releasing the amino acid chain.
</p><p>While <a href="/facts/Start_codon/Rn2L6gXQ">start codons</a> need nearby sequences or <a href="/facts/Initiation_factor/WJq3xTxn">initiation factors</a> to start translation, a stop codon alone is sufficient to initiate termination.
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Stop codon open-in-new

Stop codon