Transfer RNA
![The interaction of tRNA and mRNA in protein synthesis.](/Images/godic/202502/17/Peptide_syn2032.png")
![Secondary cloverleaf structure of tRNAPhe from yeast.](/Images/godic/202502/17/TRNA-Phe_yeast_en.svg2032.png")
![Tertiary structure of tRNA. CCA tail in yellow, Acceptor stem in purple, Variable loop in orange, D arm in red, Anticodon arm in blue with Anticodon in black, T arm in green.](/Images/godic/202502/17/TRNA-Phe_yeast_1ehz2032.png")
![The range of conformations adopted by tRNA as it transits the A/T through P/E sites on the ribosome. The Protein Data Bank (PDB) codes for the structural models used as end points of the animation are given. Both tRNAs are modeled as phenylalanine-specific tRNA from Escherichia coli, with the A/T tRNA as a homology model of the deposited coordinates. Color coding as shown for tRNA tertiary structure. Adapted from.[17]](/Images/godic/202502/17/-Transfer_RNA_morph_AT_to_PE_conformation.ogv2033.jpg")
A transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA and archaically referred to as sRNA, for soluble RNA) is an adaptor molecule composed of RNA, typically 76 to 90 nucleotides in length, that serves as the physical link between the mRNA and the amino acid sequence of proteins. It does this by carrying an amino acid to the protein synthetic machinery of a cell (ribosome) as directed by a three-nucleotide sequence (codon) in a messenger RNA (mRNA). As such, tRNAs are a necessary component of translation, the biological synthesis of new proteins according to the genetic code.