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What is RNA
What is RNA (ribonucleic acid)? RNA is single stranded sequence found on the human body. Usually RNA is single-stranded and does not form a double helix as DNA. It is also the genetic material that makes up DNA, the genetic code that dictates the functioning of all living cells.
Both Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are called as vehicles of genetic inheritance and found in the nuclei of living cells. They are composed of long strand of nucleotides.
Nitrogen base, five-carbon sugar and a phosphate group combine to form nucleotides. Nucleosides contains only sugar and a base.
Nitrogen bases in DNA are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. Adenine and guanine are purines. Thymine and cytosine are pyrimidines. The thymine nucleotide not present in RNA, it is replaced by uracil.
The nitrogenous bases always pair up in complementary manner which means purine base pairs with pyrimidine which are held together by weak hydrogen bonds. Uracil, instead of thymine pairs with adenine in RNA. Usually RNA is single-stranded and does not form a double helix as DNA.
What is RNA and why it is single stranded?
The sugar present in the nucleotides makes RNA different from DNA. RNA molecule consists of ribose sugar, thus called as Ribonucleic acid and DNA molecule consists of deoxyribose sugar, thus called as Deoxyribonucleic acid. therefore, RNA contains ribose which means 2′-hydroxyl group on the pentose ring and because of this hydroxyl groups RNA is less stable and thus susceptible to hydrolysis. Therefore, we can say, single stranded RNA is more stable and single stranded can fold easily thus, it has thermodynamically advantages also.
Each nucleotide consists of a sugar which is present in between the phosphate group and a nitrogenous base.
What is RNA? DNA to RNA formation- Transcription
The DNA contained in living organisms (both plants and animals) is replicated in a process called transcription. During transcription, specific DNA molecules transfer their information to RNA, which is in turn translated by cells into the various proteins, enzymes, and other compounds needed by an organism. There are two types of DNA forms: complementary DNA, which consists of DNA that matches exactly that found in the genetic template; and noncomplementary DNA, which contain variable DNA that varies between identical twins or between unrelated individuals.
Where is RNA located?
Through transcription, we came to know RNA is synthesized in nucleus and produces RNA from DNA. RNA then moves to cytoplasm, depending on the type of RNA formed.
Where are ribosomes located?
A ribosome is made up of RNA and protein and is used as the site for protein synthesis within all living cells.
Ribosomes found free floating in the cytoplasm or they are bound to the endoplasmic reticulum.
What is RNA and its functions
RNA molecules are necessary for life. They carry information in the form of nucleotides (RNAs), which are the base pairs of the genetic code. There are two types of RNAs: polysaccharides and ribonucleic acids (RNAs). Polysaccharides are shorter and simpler than RNAs. RNAs, on the other hand, are long and complex.
RNAs can be combined with other DNA molecules to produce polysaccharides that serve as the basis for all life. This combination is known as DNA and RNA, or DNA and RNA Genetics. Scientists have used this knowledge to develop vaccines. For example, many many vaccines are derived from DNA and RNA. Today, vaccines against serious diseases like Poliovirus and HIV are in wide use.
When scientists study the workings of nature, they come across the phenomena that make RNAs so useful. Every living cell, including all the bacteria in our bodies, contain DNA. In order for DNA to make proteins, it needs an amino acid, or DNA base, to be paired with another amino acid, or RNA base, to make the complete genetic code. Sometimes, though, DNA and RNA strands can join in a way that makes them useless as components of life forms: when two DNA strands link up, they stop making protein and become just a waste, leaving the rest of the DNA untouched.
The wonder of the world comes from its intricate nature, and that is why researchers have been trying to figure out what is RNA, and how it works. In order to study the workings of RNA, however, it is necessary to make it properly accessible. For that reason, scientists can only study the genetic code by making sure that the proper reagents can get at the viruses that they need to make the proteins. This method of studying what is RNA helps researchers learn how various viruses work, and how to stop their replication once they have infected a cell. This knowledge may someday help to better combat various viruses, perhaps even to wipe them from the face of the earth.
Although the long-term goal of studying what is RNA is to find out what it does, there is also much that is being done to use this molecular chemical in the present. Scientists are currently using genetic material called DNA to map our history and to map the genetic material that may still exist in other people. They are also working to create new genetic materials that would replace or add to the existing genetic material to allow creation of a new life form, or to insert into the genetic material of an existing virus to destroy viruses that have already infected a person’s cells. This research is also helping to map the function of RNAs in other organisms.
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