Which molecule associates with proteins to form ribosomes?

Study for the Principles of Biology Exam 2. Enhance your understanding with multiple-choice questions, detailed explanations, and study tips. Ace your biology test!

Multiple Choice

Which molecule associates with proteins to form ribosomes?

Explanation:
Ribosomes are complexes built from ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins. The rRNA component isn’t just a scaffold—it plays an active role in forming the ribosome’s structure and catalyzing the chemical reactions that stitch amino acids together during protein synthesis. That’s why rRNA is the molecule that associates with proteins to form ribosomes. In contrast, tRNA delivers amino acids during translation, mRNA provides the template for the sequence, and DNA stores genetic information; none of these alone forms the ribosome.

Ribosomes are complexes built from ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins. The rRNA component isn’t just a scaffold—it plays an active role in forming the ribosome’s structure and catalyzing the chemical reactions that stitch amino acids together during protein synthesis. That’s why rRNA is the molecule that associates with proteins to form ribosomes. In contrast, tRNA delivers amino acids during translation, mRNA provides the template for the sequence, and DNA stores genetic information; none of these alone forms the ribosome.

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