Transfer RNA (tRNA)

Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA molecule that plays a key role in protein synthesis. Transfer RNA serves as a link (or ... Skiptomaincontent ​TransferRNA(tRNA) updated:June24,2022 Definition TransferRNA(abbreviatedtRNA)isasmallRNAmoleculethatplaysakeyroleinproteinsynthesis.TransferRNAservesasalink(oradaptor)betweenthemessengerRNA(mRNA)moleculeandthegrowingchainofaminoacidsthatmakeupaprotein.Eachtimeanaminoacidisaddedtothechain,aspecifictRNApairswithitscomplementarysequenceonthemRNAmolecule,ensuringthattheappropriateaminoacidisinsertedintotheproteinbeingsynthesized. Narration TransferRNAortRNA.SotRNAsareinawayoneofthemoleculesthatIfindreallyfascinating.Youknow,imagineachef,amasterchefcookinginakitchen.But,ofcourse,they'resobusyandsoinvolvedthattheyneedsomeonetobringthemtheappropriateingredientssothattheycancookuptheirfabulousmeal.Soreally,whenwethinkabouttheprocessinwhichanaminoacidisconstructed,theDNA,ofcourse,isthecode.Soinachefanalogy,itwouldbetherecipe.Thechef,themselves,istheribosomalmachinerythat'sactuallycreatingthemeal.Butreally,thetRNAisthatvery,veryimportantpersoninthekitchenthatgoesandfetchesthespecificaminoacidsthatareneededasaproteingetsconstructedaccordingtothecodeofDNA.SothisisaveryparticularkindofRNAthathasauniquejobofmakingsurethatjusttherightaminoacidistransferred,orthat'swhyit'stRNA,intothegrowingchainoftheproteinasitgetsconstructed. ShurjoK.Sen,Ph.D. ProgramDirector DivisionofGenomeSciences Search BacktoGlossary Related Anticodon BasePair Codon RibonucleicAcid(RNA)