With the exception of base pairs, the nucleotide polymers of DNA and RNA are almost identical and they store and read information. Although they are both linear polymers made of bases, phosphates, and sugars, there are some significant variations between them. DNA is found in mitochondria and the nucleus of a cell. 

RNA is also present in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and ribosomes. There are also some other differences between DNA and RNA, which we are going to discuss further in today's topic.

DNA

One of the three main macromolecules required for life is DNA, along with RNA and proteins. The nucleus is where the majority of the DNA is found, while mitochondria also contain a tiny quantity (mitochondrial DNA). DNA is arranged into units called chromosomes in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. A cell's genome is made up of all of its chromosomes; the human genome includes 46 chromosomes and about 3 billion base pairs of DNA. 

The sequence of DNA fragments known as genes is where the information conveyed by DNA is stored.

RNA

Another macromolecule that is necessary for all known forms of life is RNA. RNA is composed of nucleotides, just like DNA. RNAs, which were once believed to play auxiliary tasks, are now recognized as some of the major regulatory players in a cell, catalyzing biological processes, regulating gene expression, sensing and conveying responses to cellular signals, etc.

A ribose sugar, a nucleobase, and a phosphate group make up each nucleotide in RNA, which shares a similar chemical composition to DNA. 

What Main Distinctions Exist Between DNA and RNA?

Bases

Biological activity depends on the proper pairing and order of the nitrogen bases in DNA, which are the fundamental building blocks of genetic coding. Adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C) are the four bases that make up this code (C). In a double helix structure, bases pair off together; examples of these couples are A and T and C, and G. Thymine nucleotides are absent from RNA; instead, uracil bases (U), which are coupled with adenine, are present.

Structure

While the two-stranded format of DNA is generally double helix, RNA's single-stranded format is less well known. When mRNA and tRNA molecules couple together during translation, RNA can create double-stranded structures. The 2.3m long human genome is made up of 46 chromosomes, each of which is a single, long DNA molecule. DNA polymers are also significantly longer than RNA polymers. In contrast, RNA molecules are somewhat shorter.

Location

The majority of the DNA in eukaryotic cells, which includes all animal and plant cells, is located in the nucleus, where it is condensed into a structure called a chromosome4. The DNA can be stored and transferred with ease because of this compressed format. In addition to nuclear DNA, energy-producing mitochondria, tiny organelles that are found floating freely in the cytoplasm, the region of the cell outside the nucleus, also contain some DNA.

The main places contain the three different kinds of RNA. The mRNA is created in the nucleus, with each mRNA fragment being copied from its related piece of DNA. The cytoskeleton, the cell's internal transport system, then moves the fragments as needed around the cell. Similar to mRNA, tRNA is a free-moving molecule that roams the cytoplasm.

Function

In the long run, DNA serves as a storage medium, a biological flash drive that enables the transmission of the genetic code from one generation to the next. All genetic information is encoded in DNA, which also serves as the building block for all biological life. The reader that decodes this flash drive is RNA. There are distinct RNAs for each phase in this multi-step reading process.

Sugar

While the deoxyribose sugar lends DNA additional stability, the extra hydroxyl group in RNA helps in the process of turning genetic code into mRNAs that can be translated into proteins.

What Similarities Do DNA and RNA Share?

In DNA and RNA, three of the four nitrogenous bases are the same (cytosine, adenine, guanine). The bases are attached to the phosphate backbone that each of them has. There is one fewer hydroxyl group holding oxygen in the deoxyribose sugar of DNA. As opposed to DNA, RNA has ribose sugar making it reactive more than DNA. As a result, DNA is a superior genetic component over RNA.

Distinctions Between DNA and RNA

• In contrast to RNA, which is a single-stranded molecule, DNA is a double-stranded molecule.
• RNA codes for amino acids and functions as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to create proteins, while DNA is responsible for storing and conveying genetic information.
• RNA and DNA both contain the sugar ribose but not deoxyribose. There is just one -OH group added to ribose as opposed to deoxyribose, which contains a -H group linked to the second (2') carbon in the ring.