What is RNA?
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.
RNA is very similar to but differs in a few important structural details: in the cell, RNA is usually single-stranded, while is usually double-stranded; RNA nucleotides contain ribose while contains deoxyribose (a type of ribose that lacks one oxygen atom); and RNA has the base uracil rather than that is present in
RNA is transcribed from by enzymes called RNA polymerases and is generally further processed by other enzymes. RNA is central to protein synthesis. Here, a type of RNA called messenger RNA carries information from to structures called ribosomes. These ribosomes are made from proteins and ribosomal RNAs, which come together to form a molecular machine that can read messenger RNAs and translate the information they carry into proteins. There are many RNAs with other roles – in particular regulating which are expressed, but also as the genomes of most
RNA and are both nucleic acids, but differ in three main ways. First, unlikewhich is double-stranded, RNA is a single-stranded molecule in most of its biological roles and has a much shorter chain of nucleotides. Second, while contains ''deoxyribose'', RNA contains ''ribose'' (there is no hydroxyl group attached to the pentose ring in the 2' position in These hydroxyl groups make RNA less stable than because it is more prone to hydrolysis. Third, the complementary base to adenine is not as it is in but rather uracil, which is an unmethylated form of For instance, determination of the structure of the ribosome—an enzyme that catalyzes peptide bond formation—revealed that its active site is composed entirely of RNA.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) has the bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U). Image Credit: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
RNA and are both nucleic acids, but differ in three main ways. First, unlikewhich is double-stranded, RNA is a single-stranded molecule in most of its biological roles and has a much shorter chain of nucleotides. Second, while contains ''deoxyribose'', RNA contains ''ribose'' (there is no hydroxyl group attached to the pentose ring in the 2' position in These hydroxyl groups make RNA less stable than because it is more prone to hydrolysis. Third, the complementary base to adenine is not as it is in but rather uracil, which is an unmethylated form of For instance, determination of the structure of the ribosome—an enzyme that catalyzes peptide bond formation—revealed that its active site is composed entirely of RNA.
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