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RNA is susceptible to this base-catalyzed hydrolysis because the ribose sugar in RNA has a hydroxyl group at the 2’ position. [1] This feature makes RNA chemically unstable compared to DNA, which does not have this 2’ -OH group and thus is not susceptible to base-catalyzed hydrolysis. [1] Mechanism of base catalyzed RNA hydrolysis.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins (messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are nucleic acids.
All living cells contain both DNA and RNA (except some cells such as mature red blood cells), while viruses contain either DNA or RNA, but usually not both. [15] The basic component of biological nucleic acids is the nucleotide , each of which contains a pentose sugar ( ribose or deoxyribose ), a phosphate group, and a nucleobase . [ 16 ]
Selected portions of the DNA nucleotide sequence are copied into a corresponding RNA nucleotide sequence, which either encodes a protein (if it is an mRNA) or forms a 'structural' RNA, such as a transfer RNA (tRNA) or ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecule. Each region of the DNA helix that produces a functional RNA molecule constitutes a gene. [15]
The term unstable molecule is used for very reactive species, i.e., short-lived assemblies of electrons and nuclei, such as radicals, molecular ions, Rydberg molecules, transition states, van der Waals complexes, or systems of colliding atoms as in Bose–Einstein condensate.
This is due to the fact that the coding strand is single-stranded during transcription, which is chemically more unstable than double-stranded DNA. During elongation of transcription, supercoiling can occur behind an elongating RNA polymerase, leading to single-stranded breaks.
Being nothing more than a bit of RNA or DNA in a protein capsule, they have no metabolism and can only replicate with the assistance of a hijacked cell's metabolic machinery. The production of a truly living organism (e.g. a simple bacterium) with no ancestors would be a much more complex task, but may well be possible to some degree according ...
A short 20-nucleotide RNA variant ribozyme was identified that self-reproduces via template directed ligation of two 10 nucleotide oligomers. [38] This minimal kind of RNA self-reproduction was discovered in a random pool of oligmers, and may represent an early step in the emergence of an RNA based genetic system from primordial components. [38]