What is the primary role of transfer RNA (tRNA) during translation?

The primary role of transfer RNA (tRNA) during translation is to bring amino acids to the ribosome. tRNA serves as an adaptor molecule that translates the codon sequences of messenger RNA (mRNA) into a corresponding sequence of amino acids. Each tRNA molecule has an anticodon, which is a set of three nucleotides that is complementary to a specific mRNA codon. When the ribosome reads the codons on the mRNA, the corresponding tRNA with the appropriate amino acid binds to the ribosome, facilitating the addition of that amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain. This process is crucial for the accurate synthesis of proteins, as it ensures that the amino acids are added in the correct order as specified by the mRNA's genetic code.

In contrast, while other molecules are involved in genetic information encoding and transcription initiation, their functions differ significantly from that of tRNA.