An anticodon is a sequence of three nucleotides that is complementary to a corresponding codon in messenger RNA (mRNA). Anticodons are found on transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules, which play a crucial role in the process of translation, where proteins are synthesized from mRNA templates.
During translation, the ribosome reads the codons in mRNA, and the tRNA recognizes these codons through its anticodon. This complementary pairing ensures that the correct amino acid is added to the growing polypeptide chain, maintaining the fidelity of protein synthesis. For instance, if the mRNA codon is AUG, the corresponding tRNA anticodon would be UAC, carrying the amino acid methionine.