Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) function as adaptor molecules in the translation of polypeptides from mRNA by ribosomes. tRNAs are approximately 80 nucleotides in length and have two regions of fundamental functional importance: the anticodon, which is responsible for specific mRNA codon recognition, and the 3' end, to which the tRNA's cognate amino acid is attached. (Adapted from PMID:26549858.)