code/encode

C

Cleare

Senior Member
IDF
Russian
Hi,

Could you help me with these verbs? Are they the same and I could use either or not? For example in the phrase:

Mutations in the genes that encode/code cell junction proteins such as ... and in the RyR2 gene, which encodes/codes the cardiac ryanodine receptor, were identified.

Thanks in advance for your comments!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
    • In a Wikipedia article on genetic code in DNA, encoding is used when codons transfer information to amino acids. However, the article also refers to protein-coding sites. Finally, translate seems to be used far more often than coding or encoding throughout the article. Translate is the term I'm most familiar with from my limited reading in the field.
     
    "Code", meaning to specify the genetic code for something (such as a protein), is not used in the transitive form - it should be "code for". "Encode" is also correct.
     
    Cypherpunk said:
    In a Wikipedia article on genetic code in DNA, encoding is used when codons transfer information to amino acids. However, the article also refers to protein-coding sites. Finally, translate seems to be used far more often than coding or encoding throughout the article. Translate is the term I'm most familiar with from my limited reading in the field.
    Click to expand...

    Cypherpunk, I don't think translate is a suitable replacement for the verbs in question, as that word specifically refers to the process of matching mRNA with amino acids - genes do not translate proteins.
     
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