reading frame

noun

: a sequence of nucleotide triplets that is potentially translatable into a polypeptide and that is determined by the placement of a codon that initiates translation

Examples of reading frame in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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According to a study published in April 2020, mutations identified in the nonstructural protein NSP6 and open reading frame Orf10 likely prevent autophagosomes from delivering material to the lysosome. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2021 It is synthesized as part of two much longer polypeptides, the product of the initial long open reading frame (orf1a), and from the orf1b, the orf1ab polypeptide. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 4 June 2021 Further mutations to the nucleocapsid protein and open reading frame eight likely increase the virus’s virulence, as similar mutations have been seen in other variants. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2021 For instance, Lanjuan noted a mutation in the open reading frame three at position 251 (G251V). William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reading frame was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near reading frame

Cite this Entry

“Reading frame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reading%20frame. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

reading frame

noun
read·​ing frame ˈrēd-iŋ- How to pronounce reading frame (audio)
: any of the three possible ways of reading a sequence of nucleotides as a series of triplets see open reading frame
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