In the United States, approximately 1.5 to 3 percent of healthy cats are infected with FIV. Bite wounds are the primary means of transmission for FIV. Cats with FIV often have poor coat condition and persistent fever with a loss of appetite. A veterinarian will draw a blood sample for a test to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood.
anticodon. a triplet of nucleotides in transfer RNA that is complementary to the codon in messenger RNA that specifies the amino acid. Anticodon. The three nucleotides (shaded) on a transfer RNA bind to a complementary messenger RNA codon. From Dorland's, 2000.
The structure of the anticodon of tRNA helps to explain the degeneracy of the genetic code. Previously, in the SparkNote on the Genetic Code, we saw that more than one codon could specify a particular amino acid. However, now we know that tRNA acts as a go between for the codons of mRNA and amino acids.