AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -tRNAs bring their amino acids to the mRNA in a specific order. This order is determined by the attraction between a codon, a sequence of three nucleotides on the mRNA, and a complementary nucleotide triplet on the tRNA, called an anticodon. This anticodon also specifies the particular amino acid that the tRNA carries.

Detailed explanation-2: -The three-letter nature of codons means that the four nucleotides found in mRNA-A, U, G, and C-can produce a total of 64 different combinations. Of these 64 codons, 61 represent amino acids, and the remaining three represent stop signals, which trigger the end of protein synthesis.

Detailed explanation-3: -The mRNA is then pulled through the ribosome; as its codons encounter the ribosome’s active site, the mRNA nucleotide sequence is translated into an amino acid sequence using the tRNAs as adaptors to add each amino acid in the correct sequence to the end of the growing polypeptide chain.

Detailed explanation-4: -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.