thymine molecule with sugar and phosphate backbone

RNA, containing a ribose sugar, is more reactive than DNA and is not stable in alkaline conditions. RNA forms in the nucleolus, and then moves to specialised regions of the cytoplasm depending on the type of RNA formed.ĭue to its deoxyribose sugar, which contains one less oxygen-containing hydroxyl group, DNA is a more stable molecule than RNA, which is useful for a molecule which has the task of keeping genetic information safe. RNA shares Adenine (‘A’), Guanine (‘G’) and Cytosine (‘C’) with DNA, but contains Uracil (‘U’) rather than Thymine.Īdenine and Thymine pair (A-T) Cytosine and Guanine pair (C-G)Īdenine and Uracil pair (A-U) Cytosine and Guanine pair (C-G)ĭNA is found in the nucleus, with a small amount of DNA also present in mitochondria. The bases in DNA are Adenine (‘A’), Thymine (‘T’), Guanine (‘G’) and Cytosine (‘C’). RNA contains ribose sugar molecules, without the hydroxyl modifications of deoxyribose.

The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, which contains one less hydroxyl group than RNA’s ribose. A large RNA molecule might only be a few thousand base pairs long. RNA molecules are variable in length, but much shorter than long DNA polymers. A chromosome, for example, is a single, long DNA molecule, which would be several centimetres in length when unravelled. RNA sometimes forms a secondary double helix structure, but only intermittently.ĭNA is a much longer polymer than RNA. RNA strands are shorter than DNA strands. RNA only has one strand, but like DNA, is made up of nucleotides.

Each nucleotide contains a phosphate, a 5-carbon sugar molecule and a nitrogenous base. These strands are made up of subunits called nucleotides.

RNA converts the genetic information contained within DNA to a format used to build proteins, and then moves it to ribosomal protein factories.ĭNA consists of two strands, arranged in a double helix. It is a blueprint for all genetic information contained within an organism. DNA replicates and stores genetic information.

Thymine molecule with sugar and phosphate backbone