DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the hereditary material present in all prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, and some viruses. All the genetic information are encoded in the DNA, which is inherited from parents to offsprings. DNA is mainly present in the chromatin of the cell nucleus and also in mitochondria.
RNA stands for ribonucleic acid, which is present in all living cells and in some viruses. It is mainly involved in the synthesis of protein. RNA is present mainly in the cell cytoplasm and a few in the nucleolus.
DNA and RNA are polymers made up of nucleotides. It consists of phosphodiester bonds, sugars, and nitrogenous bases. Deoxyribose sugar is present in DNA, and ribose sugar is in RNA. The name deoxy suggests an absence of oxygen, which occurs in carbon number 2 of deoxyribose sugar. In the ribose sugar, the OH group is present. The nitrogenous bases present in both DNA and RNA are adenine (A), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). Thymine (T) is present in DNA which is replaced by uracil (U) in RNA.
References
- Madigan, M. T., Martinko, J. M., Stahl, D. A., & Clark, D. P. (2011). BROCK Biology of Microorganisms (13th edition). Benjamin Cumming.
- Pelczar Jr., M., Chan, E., & Krieg, N. (2007). Microbiology (5th edition). Tata McGraw-Hill.