Ribosomal RNA

From Palaeos

Ribosomes are the small, but incredibly complex nucleoprotein complexes responsible for protein synthesis. They bind to mRNA molecules from the nucleus and physically move along the molecule, "reading" the code on the mRNA and attaching amino acids to the growing peptide (protein) chain. In eukaryotes there are three, quite distinctive RNA species bound up in the ribosome. These are known by their "Svedberg" numbers, a possibly obsolete measure of relative movement in centrifugation through a density gradient. The three species in prokaryotes are the 5S, 16S and 23S RNAs, vide infra.