RNA Structure (Edexcel IGCSE Biology) : Revision Note

Lára Marie McIvor

Last updated

RNA Structure

  • Like DNA, the nucleic acid RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a polynucleotide

    • It is made up of many nucleotides linked together in a long chain

  • RNA nucleotides contain the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), guanine (G) and cytosine (C)

  • Unlike DNA, RNA nucleotides never contain the nitrogenous base thymine (T) – in its place they include the nitrogenous base uracil (U)

  • RNA molecules are only made up of one polynucleotide strand (they are single-stranded)

  • Each RNA polynucleotide strand is made up of alternating ribose sugars and phosphate groups linked together, with the nitrogenous bases of each nucleotide projecting out sideways from the single-stranded RNA molecule

  • Examples of an RNA molecules are:

    • messenger RNA (mRNA) which is the transcript copy of a gene that encodes a specific polypeptide

    • transfer RNA (tRNA) which is involved in protein synthesis

    • ribosomal RNA (rRNA) which forms part of a ribosome

mRNA as an example of RNA structure, downloadable AS & A Level Biology revision notes

Messenger RNA (mRNA) provides a good example of the structure of RNA

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • The main differences you need to know between RNA and DNA:

    • RNA is single-stranded

    • RNA contains uracil instead of thymine

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Lára Marie McIvor

Author: Lára Marie McIvor

Expertise: Biology, Psychology & Sociology Lead

Lára graduated from Oxford University in Biological Sciences and has now been a science tutor working in the UK for several years. Lára has a particular interest in the area of infectious disease and epidemiology, and enjoys creating original educational materials that develop confidence and facilitate learning.

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