Final answer:
Nucleotides in DNA contain deoxyribose sugar and thymine, whereas RNA nucleotides contain ribose sugar and uracil instead of thymine. DNA is usually double-stranded, while RNA is single-stranded and plays a role in protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. They consist of three main parts: a pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. The key differences between DNA and RNA nucleotides involve the sugar and one of the nitrogenous bases. DNA nucleotides contain deoxyribose sugar and use thymine as one of the four bases, while RNA nucleotides contain ribose sugar and have uracil in the place of thymine. Another distinction is that DNA typically exists in a double-stranded helix configuration, whereas RNA is usually single-stranded.
Both DNA and RNA share three nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). However, the fourth base differentiates the two: DNA contains thymine (T), while RNA contains uracil (U). This difference is crucial for the processes of transcription and replication. DNA acts as a long-term storage of genetic information and has a more complex structural packaging within cells, whereas RNA is more involved in the protein synthesis and regulation of gene expression.