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Bio 3

RNA is a macromolecule essential for life that is made up of nucleotides containing ribose, nucleobases, and phosphate groups. RNA is single-stranded and can adopt complex 3D structures. While similar to DNA, RNA contains ribose instead of deoxyribose and uracil instead of thymine. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries genetic information from DNA to direct protein synthesis in the cytoplasm with the help of transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in ribosomes.

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15 views11 pages

Bio 3

RNA is a macromolecule essential for life that is made up of nucleotides containing ribose, nucleobases, and phosphate groups. RNA is single-stranded and can adopt complex 3D structures. While similar to DNA, RNA contains ribose instead of deoxyribose and uracil instead of thymine. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries genetic information from DNA to direct protein synthesis in the cytoplasm with the help of transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in ribosomes.

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mtanveerhasan2001
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RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA), is one of the three major


macromolecules (along with DNA and proteins) that are
essential for all known forms of life. Like DNA, RNA is
made up of a long chain of components called nucleotides.
Each nucleotide consists of a nucleobase, a ribose sugar,
and a phosphate group.
Chemical Structure of RNA
The sequence of nucleotides allows RNA to encode
genetic information. All cellular organisms use
messenger RNA (mRNA) to carry the genetic
information that directs the synthesis of proteins. In
addition, many viruses use RNA instead of DNA as
their genetic material.
The chemical structure of RNA is very similar to that of
DNA, with two differences:
(a) RNA contains the sugar ribose, while DNA contains the
slightly different sugar deoxyribose (a type of ribose that
lacks one oxygen atom), and
(b) RNA has the nucleobase uracil while DNA contains
thymine. Unlike DNA, most RNA molecules are
single-stranded and can adopt very complex
three-dimensional structures.
A hairpin loop from a
pre-mRNA. Highlighted are
the nucleobases (green) and the
ribose-phosphate backbone
(blue).
Comparison with DNA
RNA and DNA are both nucleic acids, but differ in three main ways:

• Unlike double-stranded DNA, RNA is a single-stranded molecule in many

of its biological roles and has a much shorter chain of nucleotides.

• While DNA contains deoxyribose, RNA contains ribose (in deoxyribose

there is no hydroxyl group attached to the pentose ring in the 2' position).

These hydroxyl groups make RNA less stable than DNA because it is more

prone to hydrolysis.

• The complementary base to adenine is not thymine, as it is in DNA, but

rather uracil, which is an unmethylated form of thymine.


Messenger RNA (mRNA) is synthesized from a gene
segment of DNA which ultimately contains the
information on the primary sequence of amino acids
in a protein to be synthesized. The genetic code as
translated is for m-RNA not DNA. The messenger
RNA carries the code into the cytoplasm where
protein synthesis occurs.
In the cytoplasm, ribsomal RNA (rRNA) and protein
combine to form a nucleoprotein called a ribosome.
The ribosome serves as the site and carries the
enzymes necessary for protein synthesis.
Transfer RNA (tRNA) contains about 75 nucleotides,
three of which are called anticodons, and one amino
acid. The tRNA reads the code and carries the amino
acid to be incorporated into the developing protein.
The three roles of RNA in protein synthesis

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is translated into protein by the joint action of transfer
RNA (tRNA) and the ribosome, which is composed of numerous proteins and two
major ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules.

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