In RNA the sugar that is found is 5-carbon sugar called RIBOSE. The sugar found in DNA is also a 5-carbon one known as deoxyribose. They’re both very important because they’re one of the components that make up nucleotides.
DNA is often called the building blocks of life because it contains all our genetic information and the instructions to make life possible and allow living organisms to function properly. However, DNA has a molecule that serves as a complementary structure known as RNA. These two molecules work simultaneously in a very complex relationship in order to produce the very extensive life forms that we know and don’t know yet, in the world. They have many similarities, but they also have key differences.
One big difference between DNA and RNA is that RNA possesses a specific kind of sugar that DNA doesn’t have. RNA has ribose in it, while DNA has deoxyribose. This is the reason why RNA stands for Ribonucleic acid.
WHAT IS RIBOSE?
Technically, ribose is a pentose monosaccharide, or a simpler sugar. It’s also a carbohydrate and it is made up of five carbon atoms. It’s different from other sugars, like glucose, because ribose doesn’t become oxidized during cellular metabolism when energy is required. Instead, it plays a role when new molecules that transfer energy between different parts of a cell are formed. Ribose serves other purposes besides transferring energy. One of those functions is being the base for the genetic tool whose job it is to synthesize protein from genes. It is also one of the backbones of chromosomes.
The role ribose plays in the transference of energy is associated with the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid cycle. In the Krebs cycle, several chemical reactions take place that results in drawing energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Several enzymes catalyze these reactions, and the energy that has been generated is then stored in a molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD.
When this molecule is energized, it is called NADH. The structure of NAD and NADH is formed by two ribose molecules. NADH wouldn’t be able to give energy to another vital molecule known as ATP if it weren’t for ribose. ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate and its primary job is to carry energy for cells. In short, without ribose, the cells in the body wouldn’t be able to perform all the functions that they need to do.
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RIBOSE IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF RNA
RNA plays a critical role in the complex system that turns DNA into proteins. DNA is responsible for storing all our genetic information, but RNA is the one that codes the synthesis of amino acids and also takes information between ribosomes and DNA, this way ribosomes can make protein.
RNA is a single-stranded molecule, made of a backbone of sugar and phosphate and attached to this backbone are four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil. Adenine and uracil always pair together, and the same goes for cytosine and guanine.
The structure of DNA is different, and these differences are key to RNA because they allow it to perform very different functions than DNA. There are three main types of RNA that take part in the synthesis of protein: transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA). They each have a very specific function in the entire process.
mRNA’s job is to carry the genetic information between the DNA molecule and the ribosomes. It copies the genetic code and takes it to the ribosomes that then read the sequences of the bases. This process will allow the synthesis of the corresponding proteins by the ribosomes, after which the mRNA will usually break apart.
rRNA takes part in the creation of ribosomes. It also gives a place for the mRNA to attach to, ensuring proper alignment of mRNA in the pairing of the bases. It is also in charge of catalizingpeptide bonds between amino acids during the whole protein synthesis process.
tRNA is the smallest of the three. Its job is to take the correct amino acids to the ribosome and to the location of the protein synthesis. The mRNA and tRNA then pair their bases, and this step guarantees that the amino acids that are included in the polypeptide chain being produced are the correct ones.