1. What is DNA Transcription and Translation?

Transcription is the process by which the information in a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA). Translation is the process by which ribosomes in the cell's cytoplasm decode the mRNA to produce specific amino acid chains, or polypeptides, that later fold into active proteins.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator performs two main processes:

Steps:

1. Input DNA sequence is validated (only A, T, C, G allowed)
2. DNA is transcribed to RNA by replacing T with U
3. RNA is split into 3-nucleotide codons
4. Each codon is translated to an amino acid using the standard genetic code
5. Stop codons (*) terminate protein synthesis

3. The Genetic Code

The genetic code is the set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material (DNA or RNA sequences) is translated into proteins (amino acid sequences) by living cells.

Key Features:

• Each 3-nucleotide codon corresponds to 1 amino acid
• 64 possible codons (4^3 combinations)
• 61 codons specify amino acids
• 3 codons are stop signals (UAA, UAG, UGA)
• The code is nearly universal across organisms

4. Using the Calculator

Instructions:

• Enter a DNA sequence (only A, T, C, G characters)
• Sequence can be in any case (will be converted to uppercase)
• Whitespace is automatically removed
• Sequence length should be a multiple of 3 for complete translation

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What if my DNA sequence isn't a multiple of 3?
A: The calculator will translate complete codons and ignore any remaining 1-2 nucleotides at the end.

Q2: What does the asterisk (*) mean in the protein sequence?
A: The asterisk represents a stop codon that terminates protein synthesis.

Q3: Can I use RNA sequence as input?
A: No, this calculator expects DNA input. For RNA, first convert U to T before input.

Q4: What if I get an "Invalid DNA sequence" error?
A: Check your sequence contains only A, T, C, G characters (case insensitive).

Q5: Does this calculator handle reverse complement sequences?
A: No, it only processes the input sequence as given. For reverse complement, you'd need to pre-process the sequence.