The importance of codon-anticodon interactions in translation elongation

Translation is the process by which genetic information is turned into amino acid sequence, following the instructions of the genetic code. The formation of a correct codon-anticodon pair is essential to ensure efficiency and fidelity during translation. Here we review the influence that codon-anticodon interactions play over the elongation phase of translation; including the role of this interaction in cognate tRNA selection by ribosomes, the importance of relative codon frequencies in the cell, and the roles of tRNA modifications in the process of codon-anticodon recognition.