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What are the differences between mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA?
Posted February 20, 2023
Answer
Basis of differentiation | mRNA | rRNA | tRNA |
Definition | mRNA is a type of RNA molecule which carries a region of DNA code to other areas of the cell for processing | rRNA is a type of noncoding RNA molecule that is the primary component of ribosomes and acts as the organelle for translation | tRNA is a cloverleaf shaped RNA molecule that transfers a specific amino acid in the cytoplasm to the ribosome |
Shape | Linear shaped molecule | Sphere shaped molecule | Clover-leaf shaped molecule |
Presence of codons or anticodons | Consists of codons | Does not have codons or anticodons | Consists of anticodons only |
Function | Carries the transcript DNA codes of polypeptides from the nucleus to ribosomes | Associated with specific proteins to generate ribosomes | Carries specific amino acids to the ribosome, aiding with translation |
Size | mRNA makes up only 1-5% of the total cellular RNA in a particular cell and is typically 400 to 12,000 nucleotides in mammals | rRNA accounts for approximately 80% of cellular RNA in a cell and its size can be either 30S, 40S, 50S, and 60S | tRNA accounts for approximately 12-15% of cellular RNA and is 70-100 nucleotides in size |
Process of splicing and capping | Splicing and capping occurs in the mRNA | Splicing and capping does not occur in rRNA | Splicing and capping does not occur in tRNA |
Polysomal transcription process | mRNA is not formed as a result of polysomal transcription processes | rRNA is formed as a result of polysomal transcription processes | tRNA is not formed as a result of polysomal transcription processes |