How many bases correspond to one amino acid in the genetic code?

In the genetic code, a group of three nucleotide bases, also known as a codon, corresponds to a single amino acid. This means that one amino acid is specified by a sequence of three consecutive bases in the DNA or RNA sequence. This is a fundamental aspect of how genes are translated into proteins, as the sequence of codons in messenger RNA (mRNA) is read by ribosomes during protein synthesis to assemble the correct sequence of amino acids, ultimately forming proteins.

While there are four types of nucleotide bases (adenine, thymine/uracil, cytosine, and guanine), it is the combination of three bases in sequences that results in the coding for 20 standard amino acids. Thus, knowing that three bases are necessary to code for one amino acid is central to understanding the process of translation and protein synthesis.