Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a chain that transports amino acids to the ribosome for protein synthesis. Errors in tRNA can cause errors in protein formation. Each tRNA unit has a distinctive structure and connects to messenger RNA in the ribosome. DNA encodes the details for making proteins. Research on tRNA takes place worldwide and was the subject of a Nobel Prize in the 1960s.
Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a 73-80 nucleotide chain that plays a role in protein synthesis. It binds to amino acids and transports them to the ribosome, the structure in the cell responsible for making proteins, so that it can assemble them in meaningful patterns. Errors in transfer RNA can cause errors in protein formation. Research on this topic includes studying how it works under normal conditions and understanding what happens when it goes wrong.
Each transfer RNA unit has a distinctive cloverleaf structure. At one end, it has an anticodon arm that binds to messenger RNA in the ribosome. On the other hand, it has an arm that can form a covalent bond with a specific amino acid. The D and T arms on both sides play a recognition role, and can be highly variable in structure and appearance. The transfer RNA itself is folded in a complex pattern, rather than being flat, as it might appear in simplified drawings and illustrations.
When a piece of transfer RNA connects to messenger RNA in the ribosome, it has to find the right codon site to connect to while grabbing its amino acid at the other end. Another piece of transfer RNA will attach to the neighboring codon with its own amino acid. The two amino acids link up and the chain continues until the ribosome has built a complete protein. The length and structure of the protein can be highly variable, depending on the instructions encoded in the RNA.
This process allows cells to continuously produce the proteins they need for various functions. The directions for making these proteins come from the organism’s DNA, which encodes the details that are translated by the RNA. One could think of DNA as the air traffic controller sending messages and transfer RNA as the ground crew directing amino acids to the right ports on the messenger DNA. The body is capable of repeating protein production over and over again with a very low error rate.
Transfer RNA research takes place in laboratories around the world and was the subject of a Nobel Prize in the 1960s, recognizing the importance of researchers who successfully sequenced a sample of tRNA. Their effort was all the more remarkable because they had to work with relatively primitive equipment, unlike the fast and sophisticated technology available today.
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