The bacterial ribosome is composed of
three different RNA molecules and
more than 50 different proteins arranged in two major subunits, which join
together to form the complete ribosome. During protein synthesis, the
ribosome binds transfer RNA molecules in three different sites. In this
image of the ribosome with transfer RNAs in all three binding sites, the
large subunit is gray, the small subunit is violet, and the three transfer
RNAs are green, blue, and red.
Image: Center for Molecular Biology of RNA