Question

Why would you not expect G = C and A = U equalities in RNA?

a. because G pairs with A and C pairs with U, not G with C and A with U.
b. because RNA molecular structures do not normally have pairing of nucleotides.
c. because RNA is made from DNA, not from other RNA molecules.
d. because RNA contains introns which are processed out of the molecule.
e. because T, not U, is found in RNA.

Answer 1

In RNA, adenine does not pair with uracil in the same way it pairs with thymine in DNA. RNA's structure differs in having uracil instead of thymine, and RNA is single-stranded, which affects how nucleotide bases pair during protein synthesis.

Step-by-step explanation:

You would not expect G = C and A = U equalities in RNA because, unlike DNA which is double-stranded and has complementary pairs (adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine), RNA is typically single-stranded. In RNA, adenine pairs with uracil during protein synthesis, not with thymine as in DNA. Additionally, RNA is a different molecule with a different structure, having ribose instead of deoxyribose and uracil in place of thymine. Therefore, the correct answer to why one would not expect G = C and A = U equalities in RNA is that, unlike DNA, where adenine pairs with thymine, in RNA adenine pairs with uracil.

RNA is involved in protein synthesis, and these nucleotides pair with their complementary bases on the messenger RNA (mRNA) during transcription and translation processes. The base guanine always pairs with cytosine in both DNA and RNA, maintaining the G = C pairing. However, in RNA, adenine pairs with uracil since RNA contains uracil instead of thymine, which is found in DNA. Therefore, the concept of A = U comes from the RNA base pairing rules rather than equality between amounts of these nucleotides in the RNA molecule.