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Lesson 3A - RNA Types and Structures

RNA plays several important roles in protein synthesis. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries genetic information from DNA and is used as a template for protein synthesis. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a major component of ribosomes where protein synthesis occurs. Transfer RNA (tRNA) incorporates specific amino acids into a growing protein by recognizing mRNA codons. Other types of RNA include microRNAs, small nuclear RNAs, and small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and cellular processes.

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17 views

Lesson 3A - RNA Types and Structures

RNA plays several important roles in protein synthesis. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries genetic information from DNA and is used as a template for protein synthesis. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a major component of ribosomes where protein synthesis occurs. Transfer RNA (tRNA) incorporates specific amino acids into a growing protein by recognizing mRNA codons. Other types of RNA include microRNAs, small nuclear RNAs, and small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and cellular processes.

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hannah Corpuz
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 3: FUNDAMENTALS OF ➢ Carries the genetic information from DNA

RIBONUCLEIC ACID BIOCHEMISTRY and is used as a template for protein synthesis.


➢ Most mRNAs are 500 to 4,500 bases long.
➢ Each three mRNA bases in a row form a
RNA TYPES AND STRUCTURES genetic code word, or codon.
➢ Polycistronic – coding more than one
➢ It is a polymer of nucleotides similar to protein on the same mRNA; most prokaryotes
DNA. It differs from DNA in the sugar are Polycistronic.
moieties, having ribose instead of deoxyribose ➢ Monocistronic – coding one protein on the
and, in one nitrogen base component, having same mRNA; most Eukaryotes are
uracil instead of thymine (thymine is 5-methyl monocistronic.
uracil). Furthermore, RNA is synthesized as a
single strand rather than as a double helix. MESSENGER RNA PROCESSING
Although RNA
strands do not have complementary partner 1. Polyadenylation
strands, they are not completely single-stranded.
Through internal homologies, RNA species fold
➢ Study of mRNA in eukaryotes was
and loop upon themselves
facilitated by the discovery that most
to take on as much of a double-stranded
messengers carry a sequence of polyadenylic
character as possible. RNA can also pair with
acid at the 3-terminus, the poly(A) tail. The run
complementary single strands of DNA or RNA
of adenines was first discovered by hydrogen
and form a double helix. There are several types
bonding of mRNA to polydeoxythymine on
of RNAs found in the cell. Ribosomal RNA,
poly(dT) cellulose. 4 Polyuridine or
messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and small
polythymine residues covalently attached to
nuclear RNAs have distinct cellular functions.
cellulose or sepharose substrates are often used
RNA is copied, or transcribed, from DNA.
to specifically isolate mRNA in the laboratory.
The poly(A) tail is not coded in genomic DNA.
Differences of DNA and RNA
It is added to the RNA after synthesis of the
pre-mRNA. A protein complex recognizes the
DNA RNA
RNA sequence, AAUAAA, and cleaves the
• Double Stranded Single strands RNA chain 11–30 bases 3 to that site. The
• Base- Thymine • Base- Uracil enzyme that cuts pre-mRNA in advance of
• Sugar- Deoxyribose • Sugar- Ribose polyadenylation has not been identified. Recent
• Cannot function as • Can function as studies suggest that a
enzyme enzyme component of the protein complex related to the
system that is responsible for removing the 3
➢ In the synthesis of protein there three types extension from pre-transfer RNAs may also be
of RNA that participate and that play different involved in generation of the 3 ends on mRNA.
roles: The enzyme polyadenylate polymerase is
responsible for adding the adenines to the end
of the transcript. A run of up to 200 nucleotides
of poly(A) is typically found on mRNA in
I. MESSENGER RNA (mRNA) mammalian cells.

2. Capping
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➢ Splicing may be important for timing of
➢ Capping occurs after initiation of translation of mRNA in the cytoplasm, although
transcription, catalyzed by the enzyme guanylyl it is not necessarily required as cloned genes
transferase. synthesized in vitro without introns are
➢ Eukaryotic mRNA is blocked at the 5- expressed in eukaryotic cells. Introns may have
terminus by an unusual 5-5 pyrophosphate evolved as a means of increasing recombination
bridge to a methylated guanosine. The structure frequency within genes as well as between
is called a CAP. The cap is a 5-5 pyrophosphate genes. The discontinuous nature of eukaryotic
linkage of 7-methyl guanosine to either 2 O- genes may also protect the coding regions from
methyl guanine or 2 O-methyl adenine of the genetic damage by toxins or radiation.
mRNA, 7-methylG5 ppp 5 G or A 2 O-methyl
pNpNpNp where p represents a phosphate II. RIBOSOMAL RNA (rRNA)
group, N represents any nucleotide. The cap
confers a protective function as well as serves ➢ Major constituent of the cellular particles
as a recognition signal for the translational called ribosomes on which protein synthesis
apparatus. Caps differ with respect to the takes place.
methylation of the end nucleotide of the mRNA. ➢ It compromises 80-90% of the total cellular
In some cases, 2O-methylation occurs not only RNA.
on the first but also on the
second nucleotide from the cap. Other caps Sedimentation coefficient (S)
methylate the first three nucleotides of the RNA
molecule. ➢ Various types of ribosomal RNA are named
for their sedimentation coefficient in density
3. Splicing gradient centrifugation.
➢ (rRNA) molecules range from 100 to nearly
➢ Prokaryotic structural genes contain 3,000 nucleotides long.
uninterrupted lengths of open reading frame,
sequences that code for amino acids.
In contrast, eukaryotic coding regions are In prokaryotes there are three rRNA species,
interrupted with long stretches of noncoding these are:
DNA sequences called introns. A. 16S- found in the ribosome small subunit
➢ Newly transcribed mRNA, heteronuclear B. 23S- found in the ribosome large subunit
RNA (hnRNA), is much larger than mature C. 5S- found in the ribosome large subunit
mRNA because it still contains the intervening
sequences. In eukaryotes, rRNA is copied from DNA as a
single 45S precursor RNA that is highly
Labeling studies demonstrated that the hnRNA processed into:
is capped and tailed and that these modifications A. 18S- found in the ribosome small subunit
survive the transition from hnRNA to mRNA, A. b) 5.8S-found in the large subunit
which is simply a process of removing the B. c) 28S- found in the large subunit
intervening sequences from the hnRNA. Introns
are removed from hnRNA by splicing. The III. TRANSFER RNA (tRNA)
remaining sequences that code for the protein
product are exons. ➢ Incorporates a particular amino acid subunit
into the growing protein when it recognizes a
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specific group of three adjacent bases in the ➢ Since the late 1990s a growing variety of
mRNA. small RNAs (sRNA) have been described in
➢ Binds an mRNA codon at one end and a prokaryotes and eukaryotes, including tiny
specific amino acid at the other. A tRNA noncoding RNAs (tncRNA, 20- 22 b), small
molecule is only 75 to 80 nucleotides long. modulatory RNA (smRNA, 21-23b), small
Some of its bases form weak chemical bonds nucleolar RNAs (snoRNA), tmRNA26 and
with each other, folding the tRNA into loops in others. In addition to RNA synthesis and
a characteristic cloverleaf shape. One loop of processing, these molecules influence numerous
the tRNA has three bases in a row that form the cellular processes, including plasmid
anticodon, which is complementary to an replication, bacteriophage development,
mRNA codon. The end of the tRNA opposite chromosome structure, and development. These
the anticodon strongly bonds to a specific amino small untranslated RNA molecules have been
acid. A tRNA with a particular anticodon termed sRNAs in bacteria and noncoding RNAs
sequence always carries the same amino acid. (ncRNAs) in eukaryotes.
For example, a tRNA with the anticodon 4
sequence GAA always picks up the amino acid
phenylalanine. Enzymes attach amino acids to
tRNAs that bear the appropriate anticodons,
where they form chemical bonds.

MICRO RNAs (miRNA)

➢ These are tiny regulatory RNAs; 21-25 nt in


length.
➢ Derived from endogenous RNA hairpin
structures.
➢ Caenorhabditis elegans- the worm in which
the micro-RNA was discovered.

SMALL NUCLEAR RNA

➢ Another type of cellular RNA is the small


nuclear RNA (snRNA), which functions in
splicing (removal of introns from freshly
transcribed RNA) in eukaryotes. Small nuclear
RNA stays in the nucleus after its transcription
by RNA polymerase I or III.
➢ Small nuclear RNAs from eukaryotic cells
sediment in a range of 6-8S.
➢ Small nuclear RNAs serve mostly a
structural role in the processing of mRNA.

OTHER SMALL RNAs

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