DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RNA AND DNA
S/NO RNA DNA
i. It contains ribose sugar It contains deoxyribose sugar
ii. Single stranded molecule Double stranded molecule
iii. Thymine is never found but uracil is Thymine is there but uracil is never
there found
iv. It is unstable molecule, undergoes easy It stable molecule, the spontaneous
and spontaneous degradation degradation is very too slow.
v. It can be easily destroyed by alkali It resists alkali action due to the absence
due to the presence of OH- group of OH- attached to the pentose ring in the
attached to the pentose ring in the 2' 2' position
position
vi. Mainly found in cytoplasm but also Mainly found in nucleus, extra nuclear
present in the nucleus DNA is found in mitochondria and
chloroplast
vii. It is synthesized from DNA by DNA makes DNA by replication
transcription
viii. There are various types of RNA Is always one type of DNA.
includes mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA.
ix. Many copies of RNA are present per Single copy of DNA is present per cell
cell
PROTEIN SYNTHESIS
This is the process whereby a protein molecule is constructed using amino acid under the
directive given by DNA, which takes place in the ribosome in the cytoplasm.
Mechanism of Protein Synthesis
The main steps involved in the process of protein synthesis include;
• Transcription;-is the process in which mRNA is transcribed from one of the DNA
strands.
• Translation; - the synthesis of a polypeptide using the genetic information encoded in an
mRNA molecule by tRNA.
Transcription
Is the process by which the base sequence of a DNA temperate strand is converted into the
complementary base sequence of mRNA?
The transcription mechanism is summarized as follows;
• The removal of the histone protein covering the DNA double helix exposing the
polynucleotide sequence of the DNA molecule.
• The DNA double helix unwinds by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the bases
of the two complementary strands under the influence of helicase enzyme.
• One of the two DNA strand is selected as a temperate for the formation of a
complementary single strand of mRNA.
• The molecule of RNA is formed by the linking of the free nucleotides under the
influence of RNA polymerase and following the base pairing rules.
• At the region where transcription has taken place the two DNA strands ``zip up`` to
form a double helix molecule.
• When the messeger RNA has been synthesized, leaves the nucleus via the nuclear
pores to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
• When sufficient number of mRNA molecules has been formed. The RNA polymerase
leaves the DNA molecule and the two strands zip up again reforming a double
stranded DNA molecules and histone protein is added.
Translation
Is the process whereby the triplet base sequences of mRNA molecule are converted into a
specific sequence of amino acid forming a polypeptide chain. In translation, messenger
RNA (mRNA) is decoded to produce a specific polypeptide according to the rules
specified by the trinucleotide genetic code. This uses an mRNA sequence as a template to
guide the synthesis of a chain of amino acids that form a protein
Mechanism of Translation
i. The mRNA from the nucleus attaches on the sub units of the ribosomes in the
presence of Mg2+ ions.
ii. The amino acid in the cytoplasm becomes activated and become attached
themselves to their respective tRNA under the influence of amino acyl- tRNA
synthase, forming amino acid –tRNA complex.
iii. The formed complex is carried to mRNA on the ribosome where the polypeptide
chain initiation step begins with the first amino acid usually methionine ( coded
by AUG, a start code).
iv. Once a new amino acid is added on the growing polypeptide chain, the ribosome
moves along the mRNA to enclose a new codon.
v. The tRNA that was carrying the previous amino acid now gets released back into
the cytoplasm where it becomes converted into tRNA- amino acid complex.
vi. The ribosome continuous to move steadily along the mRNA sequence to a condon
signaling stop, the terminating codons are UUA, UAG and UGA.
vii. At this point the polypeptide chain leaves the ribosome and protein synthesis
becomes complete.
Summary of the protein synthesis
i. The nucleus contains DNA which codes the message for synthesis of protein, the
message is transcribed from one of the two strands of DNA to a single stranded
mRNA molecule.
ii. The DNA molecule serves as a temperate so that the RNA strand is complementary to
one of the DNA strand.
iii. The mRNA carries the message out of the nucleus to the ribosome in the cytoplasm,
where it attaches itself to the ribosome.
iv. Each of the 20 amino acids are activated by a specific enzyme under the influence of
energy from ATP and tRNA which thus form an amino acid tRNA complex under the
influence of the enzyme amino acyl-tRNA synthase.
v. Each triplet codon on the mRNA link with complementary anticodon of tRNA with
its attached amino acid.
vi. The ribosome moves with tRNA along the mRNA sequence from one codon to
another translating the code and one after another amino acids are bounded in the
growing polypeptide chain, until a protein molecule is built.
vii. The movement of the ribosome along the mRNA strand continues until the condon
signaling stop is met.
viii. The tRNA is released up and there after it can be used again to bring in a new amino
acid to be added on the growing polypeptide chain.
ix. At the time of releasing the polypeptide chain the protein is said to have its primary
structure which can be processed into secondary, tertiary or quaternary structure.
Illustration of the protein synthesis process.
SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL, AQUACULTURE AND RANGE SCIENCES
DEGREE PROGRAM: Bcs. AQUACULTURE
COURSE NAME: INTRODUCTORY GENETICS
COURSE CODE: AS 102
GROUP NO 17, ASSIGNMENT
NAMES OF THE PARTICIPANTS
S/N NAME REGISTRATION NO SIGNATURE
1 ZAKIA A KILONGOJI AUQ/D/2021/0019
2 VICTOR CHARLES MASOLWA AUQ/D/2021/0145
3 ABDALLAH, HUSSEIN MKAMA AUQ/E/2021/0200
4 DALTON D SABIGORO AUQ/D/2021/0068
5 DAVIS C JOHNSON AUQ/E/2021/0312
6 JOHN JEROME MAPUNDA AUQ/D/2021/0167
7 AVITUS R FESTON AQU/D/2021/0172
8 LUSHINGE, JULIETH MARCO AQU/D/2021/0139
9 KANYITA, EZRA. F AQU/D/2021/0159
INSTRUCTOR NAME: DR. ATHUMANI NGURUMA
SUBMISSION DATE: 13/01/2022
Qn: Read and write about differences between DNA and RNA .Also read and write summary
about protein synthesis in eukaryote.
