Difference between revisions of "Team:Exeter/RNA Riboswitches"
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<p style = "font-size: 20px; color: #608341"><b><em>"In the beginning, RNA was a simple molecule, but over time it has gained many functions. From self-replication, to storing and utilising information, to regulating cellular pathways."</em></b></p> | <p style = "font-size: 20px; color: #608341"><b><em>"In the beginning, RNA was a simple molecule, but over time it has gained many functions. From self-replication, to storing and utilising information, to regulating cellular pathways."</em></b></p> | ||
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| + | <h2>The Central Dogma</h2> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <p> | ||
| + | The central dogma is used to explain how information encoded on DNA is used to create what we know as life. Essentially, DNA is converted to RNA which is converted to proteins (figure 1). | ||
| + | |||
| + | DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a polymer molecule (made up of sub-units called nucleotides or bases) which has a double stranded helical structure (figure 1a). There are four types of bases (Guanine - G, Cytosine - C, Adenosine - A, and Tyrosine - T)which can be joined together in many different conformations to form different DNA molecules, and each type of base is able to pair with one other type; C pairs with G, and A pairs with T (figure 2). Bases which pair are described as being complementary. | ||
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| + | DNA's primary job is to store biological information in the form of genes, which are encoded by the bases which make up the DNA molecule. For example, CGGGATGTATTAC could encode for a specific gene. | ||
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| + | RNA is similar to DNA in that it is a polymer molecule and made up of nucleotides/bases, but it differs in a few crucial ways. The first is that usually, RNA is made up of | ||
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| + | </p> | ||
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<h2>The RNA Molecule</h2> | <h2>The RNA Molecule</h2> | ||
| − | <p>RNA (RiboNucleic Acid) </p> | + | <p> |
| + | RNA (RiboNucleic Acid) is a molecule which is essential to life. | ||
| + | </p> | ||
</html> | </html> | ||
{{Exeterfooter}} | {{Exeterfooter}} | ||
Revision as of 12:58, 30 July 2015
RNA and Ribosomes
"In the beginning, RNA was a simple molecule, but over time it has gained many functions. From self-replication, to storing and utilising information, to regulating cellular pathways."
The Central Dogma
The central dogma is used to explain how information encoded on DNA is used to create what we know as life. Essentially, DNA is converted to RNA which is converted to proteins (figure 1). DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a polymer molecule (made up of sub-units called nucleotides or bases) which has a double stranded helical structure (figure 1a). There are four types of bases (Guanine - G, Cytosine - C, Adenosine - A, and Tyrosine - T)which can be joined together in many different conformations to form different DNA molecules, and each type of base is able to pair with one other type; C pairs with G, and A pairs with T (figure 2). Bases which pair are described as being complementary. DNA's primary job is to store biological information in the form of genes, which are encoded by the bases which make up the DNA molecule. For example, CGGGATGTATTAC could encode for a specific gene. RNA is similar to DNA in that it is a polymer molecule and made up of nucleotides/bases, but it differs in a few crucial ways. The first is that usually, RNA is made up of
The RNA Molecule
RNA (RiboNucleic Acid) is a molecule which is essential to life.