Which form of RNA has a structure resembling clover leaf ?
A
hn-RNA
B
m-RNA
C
t-RNA
D
r-RNA
The answer is C.
Solution
Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a small RNA of about 70–90 nucleotides. In two dimensions it folds back on itself by base pairing to give a clover leaf structure (proposed by Holley): an acceptor arm (with the CCA 3' end where the amino acid is attached), the DHU arm, the anticodon arm (with the anticodon loop), and the T$\psi$C arm. In three dimensions the tRNA looks like an inverted L. mRNA is a linear strand, hnRNA is the unprocessed precursor of mRNA, and rRNA forms the ribosomes. So the RNA with a structure resembling a clover leaf is tRNA.
ConceptClover leaf model of tRNA
Molecular Basis of Inheritance in past papers
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