Activation of an Amino Acid by an Aminoacyl-TRNA Synthetase Involves

Question

Activation of an amino acid by an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase involves the covalent linkage of...
A) AMP to the amino acid.
B) ADP to the amino acid.
C) AMP to the tRNA.
D) ADP to the tRNA.
E) ADP to the enzyme.

Accepted Answer

The amino acid is initially activated by an ester linkage, through its carboxyl group, to an AMP molecule resulting from the hydrolysis of an ATP molecule. The amino acid is then transferred onto the appropriate tRNA molecule.