Transfer RNA Carries Amino Acids to the Template for Protein Synthesis

Transfer RNA Carries Amino Acids to the Template for Protein Synthesis 

The function of transfer RNA is to carry amino acids to the mRNA template, where the amino acids are linked into a specific order. For this purpose each tRNA molecule con- 

The structures of some modified nucleosides found in tRNA. The parent ribonucleosides are shown on the left in yellow screens. The other bases found in RNA result from post-transcriptional modification. 

All tRNAs contain several ribonucleotides that differ from the usual four (12 in the case of tRNAphe). The structures for some of these are shown in figure 28.4. Only four ribonucleotides are incorporated into RNA in the transcription process. All of the rare bases found in the mature tRNA result from posttranscriptional modification. 

The complex folded structures adopted by tRNAs illustrates the fact that nucleic acids with a properly adjusted primary sequence can adopt complex secondary and tertiary structures. Apropos of this, Francis Crick once said that transfer RNA is an RNA molecule trying to look like a protein. 

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