What do DNA and RNA have in common?
an appearance of two complementary strands joined together
the bases adenine and guanine
the bases cytosine and uracil
a ribose sugar as part of their structure
The bases adenine and guanine.
DNA and RNA share several similarities:
1. Appearance of Complementary Strands: Both DNA and RNA can have two strands that are complementary to each other. In DNA, the two strands are held together by hydrogen bonds, forming the famous double helix structure. RNA, on the other hand, can exist as a single-stranded molecule or can form secondary structure by folding back on itself.
2. Bases Adenine and Guanine: Both DNA and RNA contain the bases adenine (A) and guanine (G). These bases are responsible for carrying genetic information. They can form specific base pairs with their complementary bases (adenine with thymine or uracil in RNA, and guanine with cytosine).
3. Ribose Sugar: RNA contains a ribose sugar as part of its backbone. Ribose is a pentose sugar with 5 carbons, while DNA contains deoxyribose, another type of pentose sugar, with one less oxygen atom. The sugar-phosphate backbone provides stability and structure to both DNA and RNA.
However, there are also significant differences between DNA and RNA. DNA is typically found in the nucleus of cells and carries the complete genetic information of an organism, while RNA is involved in translating the genetic information into proteins and can be found in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells. Additionally, RNA uses uracil (U) instead of thymine (T) as one of its bases, and it typically exists as a single-stranded molecule.