95.9k views
1 vote
Does RNA have 2 OH and 3 OH?

2 Answers

6 votes

Final answer:

RNA has a hydroxyl group at both the 2' and 3' positions of the ribose sugar, unlike DNA which has a hydroxyl group only at the 3' position and a hydrogen at the 2' position.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sugar backbone of ribonucleic acid (RNA) consists of ribose units, which distinguish it from DNA. Ribose is a pentose sugar with a key structural difference: it has a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to both the 2' and 3' carbon atoms. In contrast, deoxyribose, found in DNA, lacks the hydroxyl group at the 2' carbon, having instead a hydrogen atom there. Thus, RNA indeed has 2' OH and 3' OH groups, contributing to its single-stranded, less stable nature compared to DNA's double-stranded structure. Additionally, RNA nucleotides are connected by 5'-3' phosphodiester linkages, with the phosphate group forming a bond between the 3' hydroxyl group of one nucleotide and the 5' hydroxyl group of another.

User Kerisnarendra
by
8.0k points
3 votes

Answer:

Yes, RNA (ribonucleic acid) has both 2' and 3' hydroxyl (-OH) groups in its ribose sugar backbone. The 2' -OH group distinguishes ribose sugar in RNA from deoxyribose sugar in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which lacks the 2'-OH group. The presence of the 2'-OH group in RNA makes it more reactive than DNA and makes it susceptible to hydrolysis and other chemical modifications. The 3'-OH group is involved in the formation of phosphodiester bonds between adjacent nucleotides in RNA during transcription and RNA processing.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Emmanuel DURIN
by
7.7k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories