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Definition of Chain-termination codon
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Chain-termination codon: A set of three adjacent bases in the DNA or their complementary bases in messenger RNA that specifies the end of a polypeptide chain.
The three chain-termination codons (in messenger RNA) are UAA, UAG, and UGA. They are also called termination codons, stop codons, or nonsense codons.