What is rRNA, and what does it do?

• A. Messenger RNA
• B. Deoxyribonucleic Acid
• C. Ribosomal RNA
• D. Transfer RNA

Answer: (C)

rRNA stands for ribosomal RNA, the RNA component of ribosomes—the cellular machines that make proteins. It provides the core structural framework of the ribosome and, in many organisms, the catalytic activity that forms peptide bonds between amino acids. During translation, rRNA helps align the messenger RNA and the transfer RNAs so the codons pair with the correct amino acids and the growing polypeptide is assembled accurately. This role is distinct from messenger RNA, which carries the genetic instructions for a specific protein, and transfer RNA, which delivers amino acids, as well as from DNA, the genetic blueprint. In short, rRNA is the RNA part of the ribosome that drives protein synthesis.