DNA versus RNA ! Which one is better ?

Assalamualaikum and hi everyone. We meet again today to discuss further regarding of DNA and RNA. In the previous post, I had mentioned about what is DNA and RNA and their characteristics. So for today, we will talk about the differences and similarities between DNA and RNA. First, let's talk about their similarities. First of all, lets see the similarities between  DNA and RNA on the picture below.

Although DNA and RNA are comprised of nucleotides and produced in the nucleus, there also many differences between them that make them significantly important on their own.

Here is a video for us to see the main differences between RNA and DNA and gain a thousand more info about both of those Nucleic Acids. Hope you enjoy it..

That's all for today, stay tuned for more information about DNA and RNA

Two types of Nucleic Acids

 Assalamualaikum and hi everyone. We meet again for another round of our discussion about nucleic acids. Before this, we had discussed about what is nucleic acids and their history. Today, we will further discuss about two types of nucleic acids which are ribonucleic acids (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA). So, lets us begin!

What is Ribonucleic Acids?

     Ribonucleic acid or mostly called as RNA is a molecule that is single-stranded nucleic acids composed of nucleotides. RNA plays a major role in protein synthesis as it is involved in the transcription, decoding, and translation of the genetic code to produce proteins. RNA nucleotides contain three major components.  

• A nitrogenous base 
• A five-carbon sugar
• A phosphate group

     RNA nitrogenous bases include adenine(A), guanine(G), cytosine(C) and uracil(U). The five-carbon (pentose) sugar in RNA is ribose. RNA molecules are polymers of nucleotides joined to one another by the covalent bond between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the sugar of another. These linkages are called phosphodiester linkages.
Although single-stranded, RNA is not always linear. It has the ability to fold into complex 3-D shape and form hairpin loops. When this occurs, the nitrogenous bases bond to one another. Adenine pairs with uracil(A-U) and guanine pairs with cytosine (G-C). Hairpin loops are commonly observed in RNA molecules such as messenger RNA (mRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA).

      There are many types of RNA present in the cells. As we all know, RNA was produced in the nucleus of our cells and can also be found in the cytoplasm. The three primary types of RNA include messenger RNA, transfer RNA and ribosomal RNA.

1. Messenger RNA (mRNA) plays and important role in the transcription of DNA.
2. Transfer RNA (tRNA) plays and important role in the translation portion of protein synthesis.
3. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a component of cell organelles called ribosomes.

What is Deoxyribonucleic Acids?

        Deoxyribonucleic acids or also known as DNA is one of the nucleic acids present in our body cells. DNA mainly important to give instructions for organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell and are passed down from parents to their offspring through fertilization. Without DNA, variation does not occur hence there is no variety of the species.

      DNA sequences form genes, which is the language of the cell that gives instructions how to make proteins. The structure of DNA is double helix formed by the nucleotides that attached together to form two long strands. The structure of DNA is mostly being compared with ladder which the phosphate and sugar molecules would be the sides while the bases would be the rungs.The structure of DNA actually has its own base pairing and it is complimentary. A major factor stabilizing the double helix is base pairing by hydrogen bonding between T-A and G-C.

     DNA molecules are so long to a point where they cannot fit into cells without the right packaging. In order to fit inside the cells, DNA is coiled tightly to form structures that we called as chromosomes. This process is shown on the picture above. Each chromosome contains a single DNA molecule. and each living organisms have specific value pairs of chromosomes that will determine the physical traits of the living organism. For example, each human being must have 23 pairs of chromosomes meanwhile a cat must 19 pairs of chromosomes.

LEVELS OF STRUCTURE OF DNA

• 1^o STRUCTURE - the polynucleotide sequence
• 2^o STRUCTURE - the three-dimensional  conformation of the polynucleotide                                               backbone
• 3^o STRUCTURE - supercoiling
• 4^o STRUCTURE - interaction between DNA and proteins

DNA (1^o STRUCTURE)

• the sequence of bases along the pentose-phosphodiester backbone of DNA molecule
• the sequence that produced is read from the 5' end to the 3' end
• it involves certain letter which represents bases which are A, T, G, and C.

DNA (2^o STRUCTURE)

• the order arrangement of nucleic acid strand which is the double helix model the double helix model DNA 2^o Structure
• DOUBLE HELIX MODEL: two anti-parallel polynucleotide strands coiled in a right-handed manner about the same axis

DNA (3^o STRUCTURE)

• the 3-D arrangement of all atoms of a nucleic acid (super-coiling) which is the further coiling and twisting of DNA helix
• CIRCULAR DNA: a type of double-stranded DNA in which the 5' ends and 3'ends of each strand are joined by phosphodiester bond

DNA (4^o STRUCTURE)

• the structure of chromatin
• each 'bead' is actually a nucleosome and it consists of DNA wrapped around the histone core
• HISTONE: a protein. found associated with eukaryotic DNA
• CHROMATIN: DNA molecules wound around particles of histones in a bead-like structure

     DNA is a very unique protein in terms of its own structure as it has its own level to produce the complete red blood cells that we know today. Can you imagine how a very tiny cell has its own level of structure to produce a complete one? It must be a really complicated process for a red blood cell to be completed.