DNA to protein translation
Tools
- Sequence stats
- Reverse complement
- FASTA/FASTQ format validator
- FASTQ → FASTA
- FASTA ID deduplicator
- DNA ↔ RNA converter
- FASTA length filter
- FASTA splitter
- FASTA header extractor
- GC content calculator
- Nucleotide frequency
- Sequence line wrapper
- DNA → Protein translation
This DNA translator (or codon translator) translates DNA or RNA sequences into protein sequences using standard or alternative genetic codes. It supports 6-frame translation, FASTA input, and multiple NCBI translation tables (mitochondrial, bacterial, and alternative nuclear codes).
About this tool
Convert DNA or RNA sequences into amino acid sequences using selectable NCBI genetic codes. Translate all 6 reading frames, forward-only, reverse-only, or a single frame, then inspect and download the resulting translated sequences. This tool performs direct codon translation and does not perform ORF detection.
Codons containing ambiguous IUPAC bases (for example N, R, Y, S, W, K, M, B, D, H, or V) are translated as X (unknown amino acid). For sequence-level QC and additional metrics, see Sequence Stats.
For larger datasets, multi-file runs, or more involved workflows, this can be executed separately as a custom analysis.
- ✓ Data is processed in memory and not stored
- ✓ 6-frame translation
- ✓ Ambiguous codons translate deterministically to X
Details
- Reading frame: grouping of nucleotides into codons (triplets). Each sequence has 3 forward frames and optionally 3 reverse-complement frames.
- Codon: a triplet of nucleotides translated into one amino acid.
- Stop codon: signals termination of translation and is shown using the selected stop symbol (default
*). - Ambiguous codons: if a codon contains one or more ambiguous nucleotide symbols, such as
N,R, orY, that codon is translated asX. - Genetic code: mapping between codons and amino acids. Most sequences use the standard code, but mitochondrial and some alternative nuclear codes differ.
This tool translates nucleotide sequences using NCBI genetic code tables. See the official reference: NCBI Genetic Codes .
Translation is performed deterministically for each codon using the selected table.
For certain NCBI genetic codes, especially 27, 28, and 31, some codons can encode either an amino acid or a stop signal depending on biological context. This tool uses a deterministic convention and always translates them as amino acids.
- Quickly translate a DNA sequence to inspect potential coding regions.
- Inspect all 6 frames when the correct strand or frame is unknown.
- Validate cloning constructs, plasmid inserts, or synthetic sequences.
- Compare translation outputs across genetic codes, such as standard versus mitochondrial tables.
- Generate protein FASTA files for downstream analysis.
Each DNA sequence has six possible reading frames:
- Forward strand: +1, +2, +3
- Reverse-complement strand: -1, -2, -3
This tool can translate all frames or a selected subset. The first longest uninterrupted amino-acid stretch without stop codons is highlighted as a quick inspection aid. It is not treated as a validated ORF or coding sequence.
Translation is the biological process where nucleotide sequences are converted into proteins using codon-to-amino-acid mappings defined by genetic codes. While the standard genetic code applies to most nuclear genomes, alternative codes exist in mitochondria, plastids, and some microorganisms.
Computational translation across multiple frames is commonly used in sequence analysis workflows to inspect coding potential, validate orientation, and prepare inputs for protein-level tools.
Highlighted regions in this tool represent the longest stop-free translated segments in each frame. These are useful for inspection, but they are not equivalent to full ORF detection with start-codon validation.
This page does not perform full ORF detection, start-codon validation, CDS prediction, or ORF filtering by length.
Full context-dependent interpretation, including true CDS boundary analysis, is better handled by a dedicated ORF analysis tool.
