Codon Table (Interactive Genetic Code)
Interactive standard genetic code with all 64 codons, RNA/DNA toggle, search by amino acid or codon, synonymous codons and amino-acid properties on click.
The Codon Table shows the standard genetic code (NCBI translation table 1): each of the 64 mRNA codons and the amino acid or stop signal it encodes, colour-coded by side-chain class, with a DNA view, a search box and a detail panel listing every synonymous codon and the amino acid's molecular weight, pI and hydropathy.
Free, runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded.
How to use it
- Choose RNA (U) or DNA (T).
- Click a codon or search.
- Read the amino acid, its synonymous codons and properties.
What you enter
- None (reference)
What you get
- Amino acid for any codon
- Codons for any amino acid
- Amino-acid properties
Formula
64 codons = 4³ nucleotide triplets → 20 amino acids + 3 stop codons (UAA, UAG, UGA); AUG = Met = start.
The code is degenerate: most amino acids are encoded by several synonymous codons that usually differ at the third (wobble) position.
Worked example
Input: Search 'Leu'
Result: UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, CUG
Leucine has six codons, the maximum in the standard code (shared with Ser and Arg).
Questions
How do I read a codon table?
Find the first base in the left column, the second base across the top and the third base in the right column; the cell gives the amino acid.
What are the stop codons?
UAA (ochre), UAG (amber) and UGA (opal) in the standard code. In DNA they read TAA, TAG, TGA.
Which codon is the start codon?
AUG, which also codes for methionine.
Limitations
- Standard code only; mitochondrial and some bacterial/ciliate codes reassign a few codons.
References
Related reading
- Codon Table: How to Read the Genetic Code for Translation
- Codon Wheel: How to Use It to Decode the Genetic Code
- Codon-Anticodon Pairing: The Molecular Basis of Translation
- How to Read the Genetic Code
- Codon Optimization for Heterologous Expression
More Molecular Biology
- Amino Acid Chart
- qPCR Efficiency & Standard Curve Calculator (Copy Number)
- ΔΔCt Calculator: qPCR Fold Change and Relative Expression
- Ligation Insert-to-Vector Mass Calculator
- Transformation Efficiency Calculator
All free tools · By Dr. Zubair Khalid, DVM, MS, PhD.