Final answer:
In RNA, adenine is the nucleotide that always pairs with uracil, which replaces thymine found in DNA. Uracil is an unmethylated form of thymine, and this pairing occurs during protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
In RNA, the nucleotide that always pairs with uracil is adenine. While DNA contains the base thymine, RNA features uracil as an alternative. Uracil has a structure similar to thymine, but it lacks a methyl group, making uracil an unmethylated form of thymine. During the protein synthesis process, when RNA is involved, adenine will consistently pair with uracil, establishing the necessary base pairing for the RNA molecule's structure.
Moreover, all the bases in RNA, including adenine, guanine, and cytosine, are paired anti-parallel, which means the base sequences in RNA are oriented in an opposite direction to allow proper bonding and function during the protein synthesis. As RNA is a single-stranded molecule, it carries the genetic information required for building proteins, with each three-letter codon in RNA specifying a particular amino acid.