AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Definition. A ribosome is an intercellular structure made of both RNA and protein, and it is the site of protein synthesis in the cell. The ribosome reads the messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence and translates that genetic code into a specified string of amino acids, which grow into long chains that fold to form proteins.

Detailed explanation-2: -tRNAs (transfer RNAs) carry amino acids to the ribosome. They act as “bridges, ” matching a codon in an mRNA with the amino acid it codes for.

Detailed explanation-3: -At its heart, the genetic code is the set of “rules” that a cell uses to interpret the nucleotide sequence within a molecule of mRNA. This sequence is broken into a series of three-nucleotide units known as codons (Figure 1).

Detailed explanation-4: -tRNAs serve as the adaptor molecules that carry the amino acids to the mRNA template, linking information encoded in the genome to protein synthesis. As the key molecules in deciphering the genetic code, tRNAs are highly regulated, processed, and modified (Fig. 1).