What is the Difference Between Codon and Anticodon?

Codons and anticodons are both three-nucleotide sequences that play crucial roles in protein synthesis. The main differences between them are as follows:

• Location: Codons are found on messenger RNA (mRNA), while anticodons are found on transfer RNA (tRNA).
• Function: Codons code for specific amino acids during translation, while anticodons bind to the corresponding mRNA sequence and designate a specific amino acid.
• Complementarity: Codons are complementary to the nucleotide triplet of a gene in the DNA, while anticodons are complementary to the codons in mRNA.
• Presence: Codons are present in both DNA and RNA, while anticodons are present only in the anticodon arm of tRNA.
• Number: One mRNA molecule can contain multiple codons, while each tRNA molecule contains only one anticodon.
• Specificity: Codons are unambiguous and specific, meaning one codon can code for only one amino acid. There are three codons that do not code for any amino acid and serve as signals for stopping protein synthesis (UGA, UAG, and UAA).

Comparative Table: Codon vs Anticodon

Here is a table highlighting the differences between codons and anticodons:

In summary, codons are found on mRNA molecules and help determine the position of amino acids, while anticodons are found on tRNA molecules and help bring specific amino acids to the codon. Both codons and anticodons are complementary to each other, ensuring the correct amino acids are brought together to create a protein.