DNA vs RNA

Most cells contain both deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), which
are nucleic acids. A nitrogenous base, phosphate, and sugar are all essential
components of a nucleic acid. The genetic makeup of a cell is stored in
deoxyribonucleic acid, which is contained in the nucleus. Except in a few viruses, DNA
is made up of deoxyribose sugar and is double-stranded. The nitrogenous bases in
DNA are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Cytosine pairs with
guanine, and adenine pairs with thymine. DNA follows Chargaff's rule, which states that
the number of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (cytosine and thymine) is
equal at any given time (Kresge et al., 2005). DNA can be very long, containing millions
of nucleotides. It has the ability to self-replicate due to the action of polymerases. With
the assistance of histone proteins, DNA is packaged into chromosomes and protected
from damage. As a result, it has a long lifespan.

Ribonucleic acid occurs in three forms; messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA)
and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). The three forms are found primarily in the cytoplasm and
are important in protein synthesis (Bastide & David., 2018). The nitrogenous bases
found in RNA are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U). Cytosine pairs
with guanine, and adenine pairs with uracil. RNA is always made up of short strands,
making it shorter than DNA. RNA is normally destroyed by ribonucleases and does not
last long in the cytoplasm (GrudzienNogalska & Kiledjian., 2017).

REFERENCES

Bastide, A., & David, A. (2018). Interaction of rRNA with mRNA and tRNA in translating
mammalian ribosome: functional implications in health and disease. Biomolecules, 8(4),
100.

Grudzien‐Nogalska, E., & Kiledjian, M. (2017). New insights into decapping enzymes
and selective mRNA decay. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: RNA, 8(1), e1379.

Kresge, N., Simoni, R. D., & Hill, R. L. (2005). Chargaff's rules: The work of Erwin
Chargaff. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280(24), e21-e21.