How does tRNA work?
- The anticodon site of tRNA has complementary nucleotides that code for specific amino acids. For example-AUG is coded for methionine amino acid and the tRNA anticodon site has a complementary code for it which is UAC.
- Once, the amino acid is coded, now it has been sent to the DHU site that recognizes the methionine amino acid from the amino acid pool.
- This is done with the help of the enzyme aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase.
- After recognition, methionine will be accepted at the carrier end of tRNA and finally sent to the ribosome recognition site where it will get attached to the ribosome.
tRNA – the Adapter Molecule
tRNA is also known as transfer RNA is a subtype of RNA, tRNA help in the protein synthesis process. tRNA carries the amino acid to the ribosome, which is the molecular machine that assembles the protein, and ensures that the amino acid is incorporated into the growing protein chain in the correct order. Different types of tRNA present, each with a different sequence and structure allow it to recognize a specific amino acid. Specific amino acids are incorporated in the protein sequence via specific tRNA.
What is RNA?
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a single-stranded, non-hereditary (except-retroviruses) molecule that helps in the synthesis of proteins. The nitrogenous bases present in RNA are A (Adenine), U (Uracil), G (Guanine), and C (Cytosine), in which A pairs with U and G with C. The function of ribonucleic acid is to convert genetic information from genes into amino acid sequences of protein. It is classified into three types- messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) on the basis of the function and molecular size of the nucleic acids.
Contact Us