RNA

SUBMITTED BY
AISWARYA V
1st MSC ZOOLOGY
ROLL NUMBER 3301
 RNA

• Occurrence – Is found chiefly in cytoplasm and also in

nucleolus.
• Structure – Is formed of thousands of nucleotides and
connected together by 3’5’-phosphodiester bond.
• Sugar in RNA is ribose.
• RNA contain the nitrogenous bases adenine, guanine,
cytosine and uracil in place of thymine.
• Single stranded nucleic acid found in all living organism.
DNA vs. RNA
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DNA AND RNA
DNA
1. Found mainly in the chromatin of the
nucleus.
2. Normally double stranded and rarely
single stranded.
3. Sugar in DNA is 2’-deoxyribose.
4. The common nitrogenous bases are
adenine, guanine, cytosine and
thymine.
5. The base ratios are necessarily
around one.
6. DNA act as a template for its
synthesis.
RNA
1. Most of RNA is present in the cell
cytoplasm and a little in the nucleolus.
2. Normally single- stranded and rarely
double stranded.
3. Sugar in RNA is ribose.
4. The common nitrogenous bases are
adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil.
5. It need not have complementary base
ratios.
6. RNA doesnot act as a template for its
synthesis.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DNA AND RNA
DNA
1. It consist of large number of
nucleotides and has therefore
high molecular weight.
2. DNA on replication forms DNA
and on transcription forms
RNA.
3. DNA undergoes mutation.
4. DNA is the usual genetic
material.
RNA
1. It consist of fewer nucleotides and
has, therefore, low molecular
weight.
2. Usually RNA does not
replicate or transcribe.
3. RNA does not under goes
mutation.
4. RNA is the genetic material of
some viruses only
 TYPES OF RNA

It can be classified into Genetic RNA and Non-genetic

RNA
GENETIC RNA
• Organism having only RNA is called genetic RNA.
• In most plant viruses, animal viruses and in many
bacteriophages RNA act as hereditary material.
• This RNA may be single stranded or double stranded.
• Eg: TMV, influenza virus, poliomyelitis, MS2, F2.
 NON-GENETIC RNA
• Organism having DNA along with RNA.
• In all other organism where DNA is the genetic material all types of
RNAs are non-genetic.
• RNA has no genetic role, but carries the order of DNA.
• These are synthesised from DNA template.
• In general three types of RNAs have been distinguished:
1. Messenger RNA (m RNA)
2. Ribosomal RNA(r RNA)
3. Transfer RNA(t RNA)
 MESSENGER RNA (m-RNA)

• Comprises only 5% of the RNA in the cell.

• Carries genetic information from DNA to the
cytoplasm, where it act as a template for protein
synthesis.
• Was used by Francois Jacob and Jacques
Monod(1961).
Characteristics of m RNA
• Is formed of complementary strand to one of the two
strands of a DNA.
• The sequence carried on mRNA is read in the form of
codons.
• The codon is made up of three nucleotides.
• Short life span and withers away after few translations.
• It has high turnover.
• Linear and longest of all three types of RNAs.
• There is one mRNA for each polypeptide chain.
Structure of mRNA
• A cap of methylated guanine (G-cap) at its 5‘ end.
• A start codon (AUG or GUG) next to G-cap.
• A long coding region.
• A stop codon (UAA, UAG or UGA)
• A poly – A tail of many adenine nucleotides.
• A small non-translated segment present after the
G-cap and before poly-A tail.
• Non translated sequence at 5’ end called the leader and at 3’
end known as the tailer.
Prokaryotic mRNA vs. Eukaryotic mRNA
 DIFFERENCES IN PROKARYOTIC AND
EUKARYOTIC mRNA
Character Prokaryotic mRNA Eukaryotic mRNA

Nature Polycistronic or Only monocistronic

monocistronic
5’ Methylated G-cap Absent Present

Shine Dalgarno Present Absent

sequence
Poly-A tail at 3’ end Absent Present
 HETEROGENEOUS NUCLEAR RNA
(hnRNA)
• In eukaryotes, a precursor RNA is 1st synthesized in
nucleoplasm. This precursor is then degraded to
mRNA that is translocated to Cytoplasm. This
precursor RNA are called hnRNA.
• Is rapidly become covered by proteins to form
heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein
(hnRNP).
• The hnRNP protein are keep the hnRNA in a single
stranded form and to assist in the various RNA
processing reactions.
 TRANSFER RNA (t-RNA)
• T-RNA are the smallest of three major species of RNA molecules
• They have 75-93 nucleotide residues
• They transfer the amino acids from cytoplasm to the protein
synthesizing machinery, hence the name t RNA.
• They are easily soluble, hence called “soluble RNA or s RNA”
• They also called adaptor molecules, since they act as adapters for the
translation of the sequence of nucleotides of the m RNA in to specific
amino acid.
• There are at least 20 species of t RNA one corresponding to each of the
20 amino acids required for protein synthesis.
Structure of t RNA

1. Primary structure- The nucleotide sequence of all the

t RNA molecules allows extensive intra stand
complimentarily that generates a secondary structure.
2. Secondary structure- Each single t RNA shows
extensive internal base pairing and acquires a clover
leaf like structure. The structure is stabilized by
hydrogen bonding between the bases and is a
consistent feature.
Secondary structure (clover leaf
structure)
All t RNA contain 5 main arms or loops which are as
follows-

1. Acceptor arm
2. Anticodon arm
3. DHU arm
4. TψC arm
5. Extra arm
1. Acceptor arm
• It is double helical and stem-like.
• It possess both 5’ and 3’ ends of the molecule.
• It has seven base pairs.
• The unpaired 3’ terminal has a base triplet CCA with-
OH at the tip.
• The COOH group of specific amino acid joins with OH
group of adenosine base of CCA forming amino acyl
tRNA.
• 3’ end of acceptor arm is called carrier end.
2. Anticodon arm
• It is a loop like structure consisting of 7 to 11 unpaired
nucleotides.
• lies opposite to the acceptor arm.
• Recognizes the triplet codon present in the m RNA.
• Base sequence of anticodon arm is complementary to
the base sequence of m RNA codon.
• Due to complimentarity it can bind specifically with m
RNA by hydrogen bonds.
• Therefore terminal end of this arm is called recognition
end
3. DHU arm
• Loop like arm and has 3-4 base pairs
• Serves as the recognition site for the enzyme (amino acyl t RNA
synthetase) that adds the amino acid to the acceptor arm.

4. TΨC arm
• Loop like or hairpin arm of the t RNA with a site for attachment to a
ribosome.
• Formed of 5 base pairs and a terminal loop with 7 nitrogenous
bases. Contains pseudo Uri dine.

5. Variable arm
• It contains from 4 to 21 nucleotides
Tertiary structure
of t RNA
• The L- shaped tertiary
structure is formed by
further folding of the
clover leaf.
• The base paired double
helical stems get
arranged in to two double
helical columns,
continuous and
perpendicular to one
another.
 RIBOSOMAL RNA(r RNA)
• Catalytic component of the ribosomes.
• Eukaryotic ribosomes contain 4 different types rRNA
molecules: 18s, 5.8s, 28s and 5s rRNA
• Prokaryotic ribosome contain 3 different types of rRNA:16s, 5s, 23s
• Three of the rRNA molecules are synthesized in the
nucleolus
• Constitutes bulk for the cellular RNA(80%)
• Greatly coiled shape
• Life span- long, used again and again in translation
RIBOSOMAL RNA (r RNA)
 RIBOZYMES
• RNA component of a ribonucleoprotein is catalytically
active. Such RNAs are termed as ribozymes.
• Five distinct species of RNA that act as catalysts.
• Three are involved in self processing reactions of RNAs
while the other two are true catalysts.
• Needed during maturation of hnRNAs into functional
mRNA.
• 23s and 28s r RNAs of ribosomes catalyse the formation of
peptide bonds during the synthesis of polypeptide chains .
Small nucleolar RNA (sno RNA)
SnoRNAs direct methyltransferase and pseudouridine
synthase enzymes to the appropriate rRNA nucleotides
 REFERENCES

Fundamentals of molecular biology -veera Bala Rastogi

Fundamentals of biochemistry – Dr.J.L.Jain, Sunjay Jain,
Nitin Jain
Principles of biochemistry – Lehninger
Principles of biochemistry-Voet, Pratt