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Definition of Reading frame
1. Noun. (genetics) Either of three possible triplets of codons in which a DNA sequence could be transcribed ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Medical Definition of Reading frame
1. One of the three possible ways of reading a nucleotide sequence. As the genetic code is read in nonoverlapping triplets (codons) there are three possible ways of translating a sequence of nucleotides into a protein, each with a different starting point. For example: given the nucleotide sequence: AGCAGCAGC, the three reading frames are: AGC AGC AGC, GCA GCA, CAG CAG. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)