Question

Explain transfer RNA in brief.

Hint:

Recall the two functional ends of the tRNA cloverleaf: anticodon loop and amino-acid acceptor end.

Answer 1

Step 1: Structure:
Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a small RNA molecule, typically 75-90 nucleotides long, that folds into a characteristic cloverleaf secondary structure with several base-paired stem-loop regions.

Step 2: Function in Translation:
It acts as an adaptor molecule: one end (the anticodon loop) has a triplet of bases that pairs specifically with a complementary codon on mRNA, while the other end (the 3' CCA acceptor end) is charged with the specific amino acid corresponding to that codon; each type of tRNA is specific for one particular amino acid, and it physically carries that amino acid to the ribosome to be added to the growing polypeptide chain.