Final answer:
A single tRNA molecule carries only one specific amino acid appropriate to its anticodon, despite some tRNAs being able to recognize more than one codon. The purpose of tRNA is to translate mRNA codons into amino acids, adding them sequentially to the growing polypeptide chain during protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
A single tRNA (transfer RNA) cannot carry multiple amino acids; it is specifically designed to carry only one specific amino acid. During the process of protein synthesis, known as translation, tRNA molecules serve the critical role of translating the mRNA (messenger RNA) codons into the language of proteins by adding amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain one by one.
Various tRNAs exist for different amino acids, and each tRNA has a unique site, known as an anticodon, that matches with the complementary codon on the mRNA molecule. For example, a tRNA with a GGC anticodon will correspond to a CCG codon on the mRNA, and this specific tRNA will carry the amino acid that is coded by the CCG codon. The precision of this mechanism is such that each tRNA molecule is charged with a particular amino acid corresponding to the anticodon, ensuring that proteins are synthesized accurately according to the genetic code.
The anticodon-codon pairing is a critical aspect of the translation process, where the ribosome facilitates the binding of tRNA to mRNA. This ensures the right amino acid sequence is formed, based on the nucleotide sequence encoded in mRNA. Although some tRNAs can recognize more than one codon due to wobble pairing at the third position of the codon, they still carry only one type of amino acid relevant to those codons.