Admission Test for Dental Hygiene (ATDH) Practice 2025 - Free Dental Hygiene Practice Questions and Study Guide

tRNA, or transfer RNA, plays a crucial role in the process of protein synthesis by carrying amino acids to the ribosome. During translation, which is the second step of protein synthesis, tRNA recognizes the corresponding codon on the mRNA sequence using its anticodon. This precise pairing ensures that the correct amino acid is added to the growing polypeptide chain, ultimately forming a protein. This function is vital because proteins are composed of specific sequences of amino acids, and tRNA facilitates the assembly of these amino acids in the correct order as dictated by the mRNA template.

The other options do not accurately describe the function of tRNA. For instance, while speeding up chemical reactions is a role of enzymes, tRNA itself does not enhance reaction rates. Producing ribosomes is the function of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), not tRNA. Lastly, storing genetic information is the role of DNA, and while mRNA carries information from DNA to the ribosome, it is not a function of tRNA. Therefore, tRNA's essential role in delivering amino acids is what makes its involvement in protein synthesis key to cellular function.