Functions of DNA and RNA

Nucleic acids can be defined as the organic materials present in all organisms on this planet in the form of RNA and DNA. These acids are a combination of sugar molecules, phosphate groups, and nitrogenous bases linked together through several different bonds in a series of sequences. The DNA structure speaks about the basic genetic makeup of the body, whereas RNA is a kind of ribonucleic acid that promotes the easy synthesis of proteins in the body of an organism. Although RNA and DNA seem to be the same, they perform different functions. We will discuss the functions of DNA and RNA in detail through this functions of DNA & RNA study material.

What is DNA?

DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid, is a group of molecules whose major responsibility is to carry and transmit the genetic instructions or the hereditary materials from parents to the offspring. This condition is true for viruses as well. Certain viruses consist of RNA as their genetic material, whereas others contain DNA as their genetic material. Apart from taking care of the inheritance of genetic information, DNA plays a vital role in the production of proteins. In simple terms, the DNA structure is mainly like a twisted ladder. DNA is a nucleic acid that composes nucleotides.  Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of DNA. Every nucleotide consists of three components: phosphate groups, sugar and nitrogenous bases. A nucleotide contains one of the four types of nitrogenous bases, which are adenine, denoted by A, thymine, denoted by T, guanine, denoted by G, and cytosine, denoted by C.

Types of DNA

There are majorly three types of DNA. these include –

• A-DNA -The A-DNA is a right-handed double helix same as the B-DNA form
• B-DNA – The B-DNA is a right-handed helix and is the most common DNA conformation
• Z-DNA – Unlike others, the Z-DNA is left-handed DNA

Functions of DNA

DNA can be determined as a genetic material responsible for carrying all the hereditary information. Genes are tiny segments of DNA that consist of 250 – 2 million base pairs. Further, the polypeptide chains are folded in secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures with an aim to form different proteins. All organisms have several genes in their DNA, which means multiple types of proteins can be formulated. In most organisms, proteins are determined as the main functional and structural molecules. DNA is not only responsible for storing genetic information, but they perform several other functions as well. These include-

• Replication process
• Cellular metabolism
• DNA fingerprinting
• Transcription
• Gene therapy
• Mutations

What is RNA?

RNA, also known as ribonucleic acid, is responsible for the synthesis of proteins in the human body. It is a nucleic acid mainly responsible for producing cells in the human body. RNA is mostly obtained from the DNA molecule present in our body. Although they seem to be the same, the significant difference between the two is that, unlike DNA, RNA has a single strand and consists of only a single ribose sugar molecule in it. As a result, it is named ribonucleic acid.

Types of RNA

There are multiple types of RNA, which are as follows-

• tRNA – Transfer RNA

The transfer RNA, also known as the tRNA, is mainly responsible for choosing the right amino acid or protein required by the body to help ribosomes. tRNA is placed at the endpoints of every amino acid. The other name of transfer RNA is soluble RNA.

• rRNA-Ribosomal RNA

The ribosomal RNA is located in the cytoplasm of a cell and is the major component of the ribosome as ribosomes are found here. In living cells, the ribosome plays a significant role in synthesising and translating mRNA into proteins. The rRNA majorly consists of cellular RNA.  

• mRNA – Messenger RNA

The messenger RNA is another type of RNA that majorly works by transferring genetic materials into ribosomes and passing instructions regarding the proteins required. As per their functions, these are referred to as messenger RNA.

Basic structure of RNA

Although RNA is very similar to DNA, it’s not exactly the same. There are mainly two differences between RNA and DNA. RNA consists of all the nitrogenous bases similar to DNA except thymine, which is replaced with uracil. RNA has two major building blocks, namely adenine and uracil, which forms base-pair through the help of two hydrogen bonds

Functions of RNA

RNA is involved in many functions and is found easily in living organisms, including viruses, plants, bacteria and animals. Here are the primary functions of RNA-

• It promotes DNA translation into proteins
• It acts as an adapter molecule during protein synthesis
• It functions as a messenger between ribosomes and DNA
• RNA is termed as the carrier of all genetic information
• RNA allows ribosomes to pick the right amino acid

Conclusion

DNA and RNA are the two most crucial topics of chemistry. The DNA structure is mostly like a twisted ladder. DNA is a nucleic acid that contains nucleotides. In this article, we studied DNA and RNA in length. We also covered other important concepts, such as the functions of DNA and RNA, along with their respective structures in detail. In the end,  we discussed the differences between the two. This study material on functions of DNA and RNA must have helped to attain a greater understanding of the functions of DNA and RNA along with other related topics.