quote:
Originally posted by Ammarice:
What's RNA??? Someone can 'shed some light' on this too, right?
RNA stands for Ribosenucleic acic (or I've seen it as Ribonucleic acid). Its very similar stuff to DNA, it uses four bases, like DNAs A,T,C,G (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, & Guamine). In RNA, the thymine is replaced with uracil.
Its used in ALL cells with DNA, short strands of RNA form alongside the "unzipped" DNA. These matched strands then move out into the cytoplasm where they are used to make proteins. It's a bit more complex than this, but you get the idea. Every protein in your body was manufactured in this way, with RNA acting as messenger between DNA & the cell.
The interesting thing about RNA, is its a self replicating molecule in its own right, & is thought to have been a prehistoric precursor of DNA. For DNA to replicate itself, a battery of enzymes is required. But RNA can catalyse reactions to itself. This discovery won the researchers, Cech & Altman the 1989 nobel prize in chemistry.
That's not to say RNA was the original self replicating molecule, just a potential "prototype".
I know, clear as muck!
Mark
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Occam's razor is not for shaving with.
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