Final answer:
The wobble hypothesis explains why some tRNA molecules can bind more than one codon thanks to flexible pairing at the codon's third position, often facilitated by the versatile base inosinate allowing a more efficient protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hypothesis that explains why some tRNA molecules can bind more than one codon is known as the wobble hypothesis. Due to the specificity of base pairing at the first and second positions of codons and anticodons, the third position is allowed to be less stringent, enabling a single tRNA to recognize multiple codons that differ in their third nucleotide base. This flexibility is possible because of the presence of the nucleotide inosinate (I) in the anticodon, which can hydrogen bond with U, C, and A in the third position of the codon.
Transfer RNAs play a critical role in the process of translation, where they translate RNA into proteins by matching their anticodons to the codons on the RNA template. Due to the wobble position, some tRNA types can pair with multiple mRNA codons, exhibiting a blocky structure in the genetic code and creating efficiency in the cell by reducing the number of tRNA species that are necessary for protein synthesis.