BRAINCAKEtRNA
tRNA is a relatively small molecule of around 80 nucleotides that is a single strand folded into a clover leaf shape by hydrogen bonding between bases.
One end of the tRNA molecule extends beyond the other and this acts as an amino-acid binding site. Each tRNA molecule binds a different amino acid with an ester bond.
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Key terms in this lesson
- hydrogen bond
- A weak electrostatic attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom on one polar molecule and a slightly negative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, on another.
- nucleotide
- A molecule made of a pentose sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base.
- complementary base pairing
- The specific pairing of bases by hydrogen bonds, adenine with thymine (or uracil) and guanine with cytosine.
- codon
- A sequence of three bases on mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid or a stop signal.
More in DNA, Genes and Protein Synthesis
- The Human Karyotype
- Protein Synthesis
- RNA
- mRNA
- Transcription
- Splicing pre-mRNA
- Translation
- Cracking the DNA Code
All 15 lessons in DNA, Genes and Protein Synthesis · All AQA AS-level Biology topics