What is the difference between DNA and RNA?

Introduction

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) are essential biomolecules that play crucial roles in the storage and expression of genetic information. Despite their similar chemical structures, they exhibit significant differences in their functions, structures, and properties.

Key Insights

Chemical Structure Differences:
- DNA contains the bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T), whereas RNA contains adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U) instead of thymine.
- RNA has a hydroxyl group (-OH) at the 2' position of its ribose sugar, while DNA lacks this group, having only a hydrogen atom at the same position.
Structural Stability and Conformation:
- RNA forms a narrower distribution of folded structures and is capable of forming more hydrogen bonds compared to DNA, resulting in higher melting temperatures and increased stability.
- DNA can form both hairpins and many unfolded conformations at room temperature, indicating a broader range of structural flexibility.
Base Pairing and Length:
- Single-stranded RNA has 17.5% more bases per unit length than single-stranded DNA, indicating a denser packing of bases in RNA.

Conclusion

DNA and RNA, while chemically similar, differ significantly in their base composition, structural stability, and density of base pairing. DNA uses thymine, whereas RNA uses uracil, and RNA's additional hydroxyl group contributes to its higher stability and narrower range of folded structures. Additionally, RNA has a denser packing of bases compared to DNA. These differences underpin their distinct biological roles, with DNA primarily serving as the genetic blueprint and RNA playing various roles in gene expression and catalysis.

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What is the difference between DNA and RNA?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Origins of biological function in DNA and RNA hairpin loop motifs from replica exchange molecular dynamics simulation.

RNA adopts a narrower distribution of folded structures and higher melting temperature compared to DNA, which explains their different roles in modern biology.

Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids

DNA and RNA are polymers composed of nucleotide units, with DNA having a well-defined configuration and RNA having a hydroxy group in the 2′ position.

Different base per unit length ratios exist in single-stranded RNA and single-stranded DNA.

Single-stranded RNA has 17.5% more bases per unit of length than single-stranded DNA, with the number of bases per unit length varying inversely with micrometer.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATION BETWEEN DNA AND RNA

This paper explores potential relationships between DNA and RNA sequences, focusing on their potential roles in cellular development and maintaining characteristics.

SOME RELATIONS BETWEEN DNA AND RNA.

DNA and RNA share a similar structure and function, but their chemical properties remain largely unresolved.

Hairpins under tension: RNA versus DNA

RNA hairpins show slower conformational dynamics, contributing to their more stable nature and potentially contributing to their different biological roles despite their chemical similarity.

The expanding world of DNA and RNA.

Nucleotide modifications can enhance the utility of DNA and RNA, potentially leading to semi-synthetic organisms with altered genetic alphabets.

From RNA to DNA, why so many ribonucleotide reductases?

Ribonucleotide reductases play a crucial role in DNA synthesis, and their diverse functions suggest they may have evolved from a common ancestor.

Very Few RNA and DNA Sequence Differences in the Human Transcriptome

RNA editing in humans occurs at a much lower frequency than previously proposed, with most RNA-DNA differences observed due to accurate transcription of paralogous sequences.

Exploring RNA Condensation

In the presence of CoHex, short RNA helices form end-to-end stacked soluble structures, highlighting the differences between DNA and RNA duplexes and their potential packaging in viruses.

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