Essentials of Biology - With Connectplus
Essentials of Biology - With Connectplus
4th Edition
ISBN: 9781259202230
Author: Mader
Publisher: MCG
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Chapter 11, Problem S3.2BYB
Summary Introduction

To describe:

The general structure of DNA and RNA molecules.

Concept introduction:

DNA and RNA are two types of nucleic acid molecules. DNA acts as genetic material in almost all the organisms except some viruses in which RNA acts as a genetic material.

DNA generally stores genetic information while the RNA acts as a helper molecule that carries information from DNA for the synthesis of proteins.

Pictorial representation: The general structure of DNA and RNA are as follows:

Essentials of Biology - With Connectplus, Chapter 11, Problem S3.2BYB

Fig.1: The structure of DNA and RNA.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark

Explanation of Solution

The DNA is a polymer of nucleotides. Each nucleotide is made up of three components, namely sugar, phosphate, and a nitrogenous base. There are four types of nitrogenous bases in a DNA molecule, namely Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine.

In DNA molecule, the nucleotides are linked to each other by a phosphodiester linkage. The DNA molecules are usually double stranded with a complementary base pairing between the two strands.

On the other hand, the RNA is also a polymer of nucleotides, but it contains nitrogenous base Uracil instead of Thymine. It is usually single-stranded and contains ribose sugar unlike deoxyribose sugar in DNA.

Conclusion

The DNA is a double-stranded genetic material that differs structurally from RNA which is a single-stranded molecule.

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DNA vs RNA (Updated); Author: Amoeba Sisters;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQByjprj_mA;License: Standard youtube license