Question

Is the below sequence RNA or DNA? How can you tell?

5′ ...GGAGCUCGUUGUAUU... 3′
a) RNA; presence of uracil (U)
b) DNA; presence of uracil (U)
c) RNA; absence of uracil (U)
d) DNA; absence of uracil (U)

Answer 1

The given sequence is RNA because it contains uracil (U) instead of thymine (T).

Step-by-step explanation:

The given sequence, 5′ ...GGAGCUCGUUGUAUU... 3′, contains uracil (U), which is a nitrogenous base found in RNA. This indicates that the sequence is RNA. In DNA, the nitrogenous base thymine (T) is present instead of uracil. While both RNA and DNA contain adenine, guanine, and cytosine, the presence of uracil in this sequence confirms that it is RNA.