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Semi-Conservative DNA Replication

DNA replication is a biological process that occurs in all


living organisms and copies their DNA; it is the basis for
biological inheritance. The process starts with one double-
stranded DNA molecule and produces two identical copies of
the molecule. Each strand of the original double-stranded
DNA molecule serves as template for the production of the
complementary strand, a process referred to as
semiconservative replication. Cellular proofreading and error
toe-checking mechanisms ensure near perfect fidelity for
DNA replication.
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA), is one of the three major
macromolecules (along with DNA and proteins) that
are essential for all known forms of life. Like DNA,
RNA is made up of a long chain of components
called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a
nucleobase, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate group.
Chemical Structure of RNA
The sequence of nucleotides allows RNA to
encode genetic information. All cellular
organisms use messenger RNA (mRNA) to carry
the genetic information that directs the synthesis
of proteins. In addition, many viruses use RNA
instead of DNA as their genetic material.
The chemical structure of RNA is very similar to
that of DNA, with two differences:
(a) RNA contains the sugar ribose, while DNA
contains the slightly different sugar deoxyribose (a
type of ribose that lacks one oxygen atom), and
(b) RNA has the nucleobase uracil while DNA
contains thymine. Unlike DNA, most RNA
molecules are single-stranded and can adopt very
complex three-dimensional structures.
A hairpin loop from a pre-
mRNA. Highlighted are the
nucleobases (green) and the
ribose-phosphate backbone
(blue).
Comparison with DNA

RNA and DNA are both nucleic acids, but differ in three main ways:

• Unlike double-stranded DNA, RNA is a single-stranded molecule in many

of its biological roles and has a much shorter chain of nucleotides.

• While DNA contains deoxyribose, RNA contains ribose (in deoxyribose

there is no hydroxyl group attached to the pentose ring in the 2' position).

These hydroxyl groups make RNA less stable than DNA because it is more

prone to hydrolysis.

• The complementary base to adenine is not thymine, as it is in DNA, but

rather uracil, which is an unmethylated form of thymine.


Messenger RNA (mRNA) is synthesized from a gene
segment of DNA which ultimately contains the
information on the primary sequence of amino acids
in a protein to be synthesized. The genetic code as
translated is for m-RNA not DNA. The messenger
RNA carries the code into the cytoplasm where
protein synthesis occurs.
In the cytoplasm, ribsomal RNA (rRNA) and protein
combine to form a nucleoprotein called a ribosome.
The ribosome serves as the site and carries the
enzymes necessary for protein synthesis.
Transfer RNA (tRNA) contains about 75 nucleotides,
three of which are called anticodons, and one amino
acid. The tRNA reads the code and carries the amino
acid to be incorporated into the developing protein.
The three roles of RNA in protein synthesis

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is translated into protein by the joint action of transfer
RNA (tRNA) and the ribosome, which is composed of numerous proteins and two
major ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules.

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