Editing Genetic code (section)

=== Start and stop codons ===
Translation starts with a chain-initiation codon or [[start codon]]. The start  codon alone is not sufficient to begin the process. Nearby sequences such as the [[Shine-Dalgarno]] sequence in ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' and [[initiation factor]]s are also required to start translation. The most common start codon is AUG, which is read as [[methionine]] or as [[N-Formylmethionine|formylmethionine]] (in bacteria, mitochondria, and plastids). Alternative start codons depending on the organism include "GUG" or "UUG"; these codons normally represent [[valine]] and [[leucine]], respectively, but as start codons they are translated as methionine or formylmethionine.<ref name="pmid12867081">{{cite journal | vauthors = Touriol C, Bornes S, Bonnal S, Audigier S, Prats H, Prats AC, Vagner S | title = Generation of protein isoform diversity by alternative initiation of translation at non-AUG codons | journal = Biology of the Cell | volume = 95 | issue = 3–4 | pages = 169–78 | date = 2003 | pmid = 12867081 | doi = 10.1016/S0248-4900(03)00033-9 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

The three [[stop codon]]s have names: UAG is ''amber'', UGA is ''opal'' (sometimes also called ''umber''), and UAA is ''ochre''. Stop codons are also called "termination" or "nonsense" codons. They signal release of the nascent polypeptide from the ribosome because no cognate tRNA has anticodons complementary to these stop signals, allowing a [[release factor]] to bind to the ribosome instead.<ref name="urlHow nonsense mutations got their names">{{cite web | url = http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/~smaloy/MicrobialGenetics/topics/rev-sup/amber-name.html | title = How nonsense mutations got their names | author = Maloy S | date = 2003-11-29 | work = Microbial Genetics Course | publisher = San Diego State University | access-date = 2010-03-10 }}</ref>