Anticodon is defined as which of the following?

Anticodon is defined as which of the following?

• A. Group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon
• B. A three-base sequence on mRNA that codes for an amino acid
• C. A promoter sequence
• D. A codon on DNA

Answer: (A)

In translation, the anticodon is the three-nucleotide region on a tRNA molecule that pairs with a specific codon on the mRNA. This pairing is what brings the correct amino acid into the growing polypeptide chain, because the tRNA carries its corresponding amino acid and matches it to the mRNA codon through complementary base pairing (antiparallel orientation). For example, if the mRNA codon is AUG, the tRNA with anticodon UAC will deliver methionine. The other options describe elements not involved in this tRNA–codon pairing: a promoter sequence initiates transcription, a codon on mRNA codes for an amino acid, and a codon on DNA is a genetic code template later transcribed and translated.

In translation, the anticodon is the three-nucleotide region on a tRNA molecule that pairs with a specific codon on the mRNA. This pairing is what brings the correct amino acid into the growing polypeptide chain, because the tRNA carries its corresponding amino acid and matches it to the mRNA codon through complementary base pairing (antiparallel orientation). For example, if the mRNA codon is AUG, the tRNA with anticodon UAC will deliver methionine. The other options describe elements not involved in this tRNA–codon pairing: a promoter sequence initiates transcription, a codon on mRNA codes for an amino acid, and a codon on DNA is a genetic code template later transcribed and translated.