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Molecular structure of DNA and RNA - RNA structure

5 important questions on Molecular structure of DNA and RNA - RNA structure

What are two major differences between the structure of a RNA strand and the structure of a DNA strand?

- Strands of RNA are usually no longer than a few thousand nucleotides in length, whereas DNA is typically millions of base pairs long.
- In most cases, only one of the two DNA strands is used as a template for RNA synthesis, so RNA is often single-stranded.

Which 4 possible structures of RNA molecules are there?

- Bulge loop
- Internal loop
- Multibranched junction
- Stem-loop

How can RNA structures occur?

When base pairing occurs within one RNA molecule, or between two RNA molecules, the RNA molecule gets a specific structure.

Which factors contribute to a three-dimensional structure for a RNA molecule?

Hydrogen bonding between bases in base pairs, stacking between bases, hydrogen bonding between bases and backbone regions;
Interactions with ions, small molecules, proteins.

Why is the folding of a RNA molecule important?

The folding of a RNA molecule is important for its function. For example, a tRNA molecule has two key functional sites, an anticodon and an acceptor site, which are exposed on the surface of a folded tRNA molecule so they can perform their roles.