Final answer:
The fundamental units of RNA are known as nucleotides, which are made up of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group. There are four major types of RNA that play different roles in protein synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fundamental units of RNA are known as nucleotides. RNA is made up of three main components:
- Nitrogenous base: RNA has four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and uracil (U). The base sequence in RNA is complementary to the coding sequence of the DNA it is transcribed from.
- Pentose sugar: RNA contains a ribose sugar, which differs from the deoxyribose sugar found in DNA.
- Phosphate group: Each nucleotide in RNA is also attached to a phosphate group.
There are four major types of RNA: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and microRNA (miRNA). Each type of RNA plays a specific role in the process of protein synthesis.