Transfer RNA, a type of RNA molecule that carries amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis in cells.
Modern scientific acronym from 'transfer ribonucleic acid', coined in the 1950s-1960s during the discovery of RNA's role in protein synthesis. The 'transfer' designation reflects its function of transferring amino acids from the cytoplasm to the ribosome.
tRNA molecules are often called the 'translators' of the genetic code because they read the three-letter codons of mRNA and deliver the corresponding amino acids. Each tRNA has a distinctive cloverleaf structure when drawn flat, but folds into an L-shape in three dimensions - a beautiful example of form following function in molecular biology.
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