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So 5'-AUG-3' is the start codon on an mRNA transcript

Does that mean that the tRNA anticodon is 5'-CAU-3'?

Here, I see that the tRNA anticodon for methionine is UAC, and the chart doesn't specify which end is 5' and which end is 3', but I'm guessing it's 3'-UAC-5'. I thought nucleotides are supposed to be written 5' to 3', and that's a norm, but apparently it isn't the case here? Am I missing something?

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    $\begingroup$ That page you linked to is, shall we say, unconventional, in its depiction of the code. I'm not surprised that you were confused. $\endgroup$
    – Alan Boyd
    Nov 18, 2013 at 8:04

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The tRNA anticodons are both complementary and anti-parallel. That means for $5'-\text{AUG}-3'$, the tRNA anticodon would be $3'-\text{UAC}-5'$. enter image description here

The image has the mRNA oriented with the $5'$ end on the right end. It shows both, complementarity and anti-parallel configuration. The reference you cite might have cited the anticodons $3'\rightarrow 5'$ and mRNA codons $5'\rightarrow 3'$. In general, we usually cite the codes from $5'\rightarrow 3'$ but it doesn't matter until it is explicitly specified or unambiguous.

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  • $\begingroup$ Pasan did you draw this tRNA? May I know what tool you used ?tex.stackexchange.com/questions/164206/… $\endgroup$
    – Mariya
    Mar 7, 2014 at 21:03
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    $\begingroup$ @Mariya I wish. But this is one picture I found online. But if I had to draw, I would have preferred Corel Draw. $\endgroup$
    – stochastic13
    Mar 8, 2014 at 1:45

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