While there is much commonality, different parts of the tree of life use slightly different genetic codes.[1] When translating from genome to protein, the use of the correct genetic code is essential. The mitochondrial codes are the relatively well-known examples of variation. The translation table list below follows the numbering and designation by NCBI.[2] Four novel alternative genetic codes were discovered in bacterial genomes by Shulgina and Eddy using their codon assignment software Codetta, and validated by analysis of tRNA anticodons and identity elements;[3] these codes are not currently adopted at NCBI, but are numbered here 34-37, and specified in the table below.
The alternative translation tables (2 to 37) involve codon reassignments that are recapitulated in the DNA and RNA codon tables.
Comparison of alternative translation tables for all codons (using IUPAC amino acid codes):
Amino-acid biochemical properties | Nonpolar | Polar | Basic | Acidic | Termination: stop codon * |
Codon | Translation table ID (see above) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | ||
TTT | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | |
TTC | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | F | |
TTA | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | ||
TTG | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
TCT | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |
TCC | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |
TCA | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||
TCG | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |
TAT | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
TAC | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
TAA | Q | Y | Q | Q | Y | E | E | Y | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TAG | Q | Q | L | L | Q | Q | Y | E | E | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
TGT | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | |
TGC | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | |
TGA | W | W | W | W | W | C | W | W | W | W | G | W | W | W | W | G | ||||||||||||||||
TGG | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | |
CTT | L | L | T | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
CTC | L | L | T | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
CTA | L | L | T | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
CTG | L | L | T | L | L | L | L | L | L | S | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | A | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
CCT | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | |
CCC | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | |
CCA | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | |
CCG | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | |
CAT | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | |
CAC | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | |
CAA | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | |
CAG | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | |
CGT | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | |
CGC | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | |
CGA | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | W | |
CGG | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | Q | W | W | |
ATT | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
ATC | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
ATA | I | M | M | I | M | I | I | I | I | I | M | I | I | I | M | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | I | |
ATG | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | M | |
ACT | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | |
ACC | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | |
ACA | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | |
ACG | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | |
AAT | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | |
AAC | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | |
AAA | K | K | K | K | K | K | N | K | K | K | K | N | K | K | N | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | |
AAG | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | K | |
AGT | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |
AGC | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |
AGA | R | R | R | S | R | S | R | R | R | G | S | R | R | S | R | R | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | R | R | R | R | ||
AGG | R | R | R | S | R | S | R | R | R | G | S | R | R | S | R | R | K | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | K | M | R | R | R | ||
GTT | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | |
GTC | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | |
GTA | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | |
GTG | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | |
GCT | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | |
GCC | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | |
GCA | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | |
GCG | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | |
GAT | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | |
GAC | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | |
GAA | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | |
GAG | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | |
GGT | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | |
GGC | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | |
GGA | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | |
GGG | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G | G |
Three translation tables have a peculiar status:
Other mechanisms also play a part in protein biosynthesis, such as post-transcriptional modification.