What is the Difference Between mRNA and tRNA?

The main differences between mRNA and tRNA are their structure and function:

1. Structure:

• mRNA has a linear structure and carries genetic information copied from DNA.
• tRNA has an L-shaped 3D structure and is specific to each amino acid.

1. Function:

• mRNA provides a template for gene coding during protein synthesis.
• tRNA carries amino acids to the ribosomes, which are added to the polypeptide chain.

Additionally, there are differences in their length and coding:

• mRNA is 300 to 12,000 nucleotides long in mammals.
• tRNA is 76 to 90 nucleotides long.
• mRNA has codons, which are triplets of nucleotide bases that code for amino acids.
• tRNA has an anticodon, which is a triplet of nucleotide bases that can bind to a complementary codon on mRNA.

Both mRNA and tRNA play crucial roles in protein synthesis, with mRNA providing the genetic information for protein production and tRNA acting as an adapter to bring specific amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain.

Comparative Table: mRNA vs tRNA

Here is a table outlining the differences between mRNA and tRNA:

As you can see, mRNA and tRNA have distinct roles in the process of protein synthesis. mRNA carries genetic information from DNA and serves as a template for protein synthesis, while tRNA transports the amino acids to the ribosomes that need to be added to the polypeptide chain.