Read a Codon Wheel

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in an mRNA molecule that corresponds to a specific amino acid. A codon chart shows which amino acid is specified by each codon.

For example, you can use the chart to find the amino acid specified by the codon UGG.

First, look for U in the center of the wheel. From there, work your way outward to find G in the second ring and then G again in the third ring. The chart shows that the codon UGG specifies the amino acid tryptophan, abbreviated Trp.