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Article: RNA
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- Genetics
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules, which are linear chains (or polymers) of ribonucleotides, perform a number of critical functions. Many of these functions are related to protein synthesis. Some RNA molecules bring genetic information from a cell's chromosomes to its
ribosomes
, where proteins are assembled. Others help ribosomes translate genetic information to assemble specific sequences of amino acids.
Molecular Structure
Ribonucleotides, the building blocks of RNA, are molecules that consist of a nitrogen-containing base, a phosphate group, and ribose, a five-carbon sugar. The nitrogen-containing base may be adenine, cytosine, guanine, or uracil. These four bases are ...