Protein Synthesis
When Watson and
Crick discovered
the structure of
DNA it was still
unclear how genes
actually worked.
The answer came
after the discovery
of another nucleic
acid; RNA.
Chapter 13 in the textbook
RNA
• Type of organic
compound:
• Monomer:
• Label each of the
following in the RNA
molecule
– Sugar (Ribose)
– Phosphate Group
– Nitrogenous Base
RNA
How is RNA similar to DNA
• Both are nucleic acids
• Both have 4 different nitrogenous bases
• Both have a sugar phosphate backbone
How is RNA different than DNA
• Ribose sugar instead of deoxyribose
• RNA is generally single stranded
• RNA has uracil in place of thymine (U
instead of T)
RNA
Three Main Types of RNA
Type of
RNA
Abbreviation
Function
Messenger
RNA
mRNA
Copies the sequence of DNA bases in the
nucleus and travels to the ribosome
Ribosomal
RNA
rRNA
Makes up the ribosome
Transfer
RNA
tRNA
Transfers amino acids to the ribosome based
on the sequence of bases in the mRNA