A single-stranded
RNA molecule containing about 70-90
nucleotides, folded by intrastrand
base pairing into a characteristic secondary ('
cloverleaf') structure that carries a specific amino acid and matches it to its corresponding
codon on an
mRNA during protein synthesis.
Source:
PAC, 1992, 64, 143
(Glossary for chemists of terms used in biotechnology (IUPAC Recommendations 1992))
on page 167