● DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, while RNA is ribonucleic acid. Although DNA and RNA both carry genetic information, there are quite a few differences between them.
● This is a comparison of the differences between DNA versus RNA, including a quick summary and a detailed table of the differences.
◦ DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose, while RNA contains the sugar ribose . The only difference between ribose and deoxyribose is that ribosehas one more -OH group than deoxyribose, which has -H attached to the second (2') carbon in the ring.
◦ DNA is a double-stranded molecule, while RNA is a single stranded mole cule .
◦ DNA is stable under alkaline conditions, while RNA is not stable .
◦ DNA and RNA perform different functions in humans. DNA is responsible for storing and transferring genetic information, while RNA directly codes for amino acids and acts as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to make proteins.
◦ DNA and RNA base pairing is slightly different since DNA uses the bases adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine; RNA uses adenine, uracil,cytosine, and guanine