What it means
Ribosomes are made of rRNA and proteins. Bacterial ribosomes differ from human ones, which is why many antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, macrolides and tetracyclines, can attack the bacterial ribosome and stop the germ making proteins while doing far less harm to human cells.
At a glance
| Also written | ribosomal RNA |
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Related terms
antibiotic
A drug that kills bacteria or stops them from growing.
tRNA
Transfer RNA: small RNA molecules that carry amino acids to the ribosome while a cell builds a protein.