Mini Project: DNA to Protein Translator Using Python and Tkinter

Author: Mani Sebastian

Introduction

In this mini project, we’ll create a user-friendly DNA to Protein Translator using Python and Tkinter. This tool takes a DNA sequence, converts it to mRNA, and then translates it into an amino acid sequence using the standard genetic code.

What is DNA to Protein Translation?

DNA is transcribed into mRNA and then translated into a chain of amino acids that forms a protein. Each triplet of RNA bases (codon) corresponds to a specific amino acid.

Example:

• DNA: ATGCGTATA
• RNA: AUGCGUAUA
• Protein: Methionine-Arginine-Isoleucine

Requirements

Make sure Python is installed. Install Tkinter with pip:

pip install tk

Complete Python Code

Step 1: Import Libraries

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import messagebox

Step 2: Genetic Code Dictionary

genetic_code = {
    'AUG': 'Methionine', 'UUU': 'Phenylalanine', 'UUC': 'Phenylalanine',
    'UUA': 'Leucine', 'UUG': 'Leucine', 'UCU': 'Serine', 'UCC': 'Serine',
    'UCA': 'Serine', 'UCG': 'Serine', 'UAU': 'Tyrosine', 'UAC': 'Tyrosine',
    'UGU': 'Cysteine', 'UGC': 'Cysteine', 'UGG': 'Tryptophan',
    'UAA': 'STOP', 'UAG': 'STOP', 'UGA': 'STOP'
}

Step 3: Translation Logic

def dna_to_protein():
    dna_sequence = entry.get().upper()

    if not all(base in "ATGC" for base in dna_sequence):
        messagebox.showerror("Error", "Invalid DNA sequence! Use only A, T, G, and C.")
        return

    mrna_sequence = dna_sequence.replace('T', 'U')
    codons = [mrna_sequence[i:i+3] for i in range(0, len(mrna_sequence), 3) if len(mrna_sequence[i:i+3]) == 3]

    protein_sequence = []
    for codon in codons:
        amino_acid = genetic_code.get(codon, 'Unknown')
        if amino_acid == 'STOP':
            break
        protein_sequence.append(amino_acid)

    result_label.config(text="Protein Sequence: " + '-'.join(protein_sequence))

Step 4: GUI Design

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("DNA to Protein Translator")
root.geometry("400x300")

tk.Label(root, text="Enter DNA Sequence:", font=("Arial", 12)).pack(pady=10)
entry = tk.Entry(root, font=("Arial", 12), width=30)
entry.pack()

translate_button = tk.Button(root, text="Translate", font=("Arial", 12), command=dna_to_protein)
translate_button.pack(pady=10)

result_label = tk.Label(root, text="Protein Sequence: ", font=("Arial", 12), wraplength=350)
result_label.pack(pady=10)

root.mainloop()

Summary

1. Get DNA input from the user
2. Convert DNA to mRNA
3. Split into codons
4. Translate to amino acids using dictionary
5. Show result in the GUI

Future Improvements

• File upload for longer sequences (FASTA format)
• Support for reverse complements
• Codon usage bias analysis
• Enhanced GUI with themes

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