amino acid and RNA (or anticodon)
tRNA is used in the process of translation, which is when cells create a protein (polypeptide) from a strand of mRNA just came from the nucleus and is floating in the cytoplasm. This process occurs with the help of ribosomes!
A ribosome binds to an mRNA molecule, and tRNA's come swooping in one at a time to add amino acids to a growing polypeptide chain (protein).
On one end of the tRNA is a set of 3 RNA bases (called an anticodon), that binds perfectly to the opposing next 3 bases on the mRNA strand (called a codon) as it works it way through the ribosome. On the other side of the tRNA is the amino acid that the codon on the mRNA codes for, thus allowing the specific protein to grow 1 amino acid at a time.
***see attached pic***
