title: The concept of RNA-assisted protein folding: the role of tRNA.
abstract: We suggest that tRNA actively participates in the transfer of 3D information from mRNA to peptides--in addition to its well-known, "classical" role of translating the 3-letter RNA codes into the one letter protein code. The tRNA molecule displays a series of thermodynamically favored configurations during translation, a movement which places the codon and coded amino acids in proximity to each other and make physical contact between some amino acids and their codons possible. This specific codon-amino acid interaction of some selected amino acids is necessary for the transfer of spatial information from mRNA to coded proteins, and is known as RNA-assisted protein folding.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. jan.biro@att.net
authors.forename: Jan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Biro
mesh_terms: D003062:Codon; D006801:Humans; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017510:Protein Folding; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000502:physiology*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D012343:RNA, Transfer