Difference Between Deoxyribose and Ribose
In contrast to deoxyribose sugar, which has a hydrogen (H) atom at position 2, ribose sugar has a hydroxyl (OH) group at position 2. Check this article to know more about the difference between Deoxyribose and Ribose.
Jasdeep Bhatia11 Mar, 2024
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Difference Between Deoxyribose and Ribose : DNA and nucleic acids in general are important macromolecules for the continuation of life. The genetic material passed down from parents to offspring is called DNA, and it contains the instructions for making the many proteins required to create and sustain living cells, tissues, and organisms.
Deoxyribose and ribose are monosaccharide carbohydrates that are simple sugar. They help in carrying genetic information. DNA and RNA both are pentose sugar with deoxyribose and ribose respectively.Difference Between Darwinism and Lamarckism
Central Dogma
Encoding is defined as a process of genes describing the sequence of amino acids required to produce a certain protein. Although, a copy of RNA or transcript of the gene is created first before the information is used for the production of protein. It acts as a mediator between DNA and the ribosomes which means molecular machines that read and utilize mRNA sequences to make proteins. This form of RNA is called messenger RNA (mRNA). The “central dogma” of molecular biology is the order of DNA to RNA to protein. All genes do not produce proteins for example some genes specify ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) which are required for the structure of ribosomes or transfer RNAs (tRNAs) which are molecules of RNA with a cloverleaf form that transport amino acids to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. Other RNA types, including tiny microRNAs (miRNAs), control the activity of other genes, and new non-protein coding RNA types are discovered continuously.Difference Between Centipede And Millipede
Nucleotides
DNA and RNA are polymers that are made up of monomers known as a nucleotide. DNA has a long polymer chain. Polynucleotide (poly means many) means the chain formed when monomers join. Nucleotide consists of a nitrogen-containing ring structure called a nitrogenous base, five-carbon sugar, and at least one group of phosphate. The molecule of sugar is present at a central position in the nucleotide with the base connected to one of its carbons and the phosphate group attached to another.Difference Between Chromosome and Chromatid
Nitrogenous bases
- The carbon-based molecules that are made up of nitrogenous bases of nucleotides are positioned in ring configurations that have nitrogen.
- In a DNA nucleotide Adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine nitrogenous bases are present.
- Two types of ring structures are present that include purine ring and pyrimidine ring. Purine ring has two fused carbon-nitrogen ring in their structure that includes guanine and adenine while pyrimidine has only one carbon-nitrogen ring that includes cytosine and thymine are pyrimidines.
- In RNA nucleotide uracil is present in the place of thymine have a different pyrimidine base.
- Each base has a different structure that has its functional group attached to the structure of the ring.
Sugars
- Sugar and base composition of DNA and RNA nucleotides are different.
- Five carbon sugar ring in DNA is known as deoxyribose sugar while in RNA it is known as ribose sugar.
- The structural difference between Ribose and deoxyribose is only that Ribose has a hydroxyl group present at the second carbon while carbon of deoxyribose has a hydrogen group.
- A nucleotide's sugar molecule has carbon atoms numbered 1′, 2′, 3′, 4′, and 5′ (1′ is pronounced "one prime").
- At a center of a nucleotide sugar is present with the phosphate group connected to its 5′ carbon and the base attached to its 1′ carbon.
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Phosphate
Nucleotides have a single phosphate group or a chain of up to three groups of phosphate attached to the 5’ carbon of the sugar. When nucleotide joins DNA and RNA chain then it loses two phosphate groups. So in a chain of NNA or RNA, each nucleotide just has one group of phosphate.Polynucleotide chains
Polynucleotide chain has a directionality that has two ends that are different from each other. At the 5’ end or beginning of the chain, the phosphate group of the first nucleotide in the chain is present, and at the other end, the 3’ end hydroxyl group of the last nucleotide added to the chain is present. Sequences of the DNA usually have a 5’ to 3’ direction in which the 5’ end comes first at the nucleotide while the 3’ end comes last of the nucleotide. A chain with each sugar joined to the bonds with a phosphodiester linkage.Ribose Sugar
Ribose is a sugar that forms the backbone of an important molecule called ribonucleic acid (RNA). Ribose sugar is found in all cells naturally and helps in the translation of genetic material from DNA to protein. Ribose is five carbon ring sugar called pentose sugar and has a hydroxyl group in carbon 2.Deoxyribose Sugar
It is a five-carbon sugar that is present in the nucleotide of DNA. On carbon 2 oxygen is absent in the structure of DNA that why it's not able to repel the negative charge phosphate in a result ring DNA structure is a double helix.Features of DNA
- DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid which is a double helix in structure and forms two complementary chains that are stuck with each other.
- Sugar and phosphate are present on the outside of the helix that forms the backbone of DNA and is known as the sugar-phosphate backbone.
- The nitrogenous bases extend inside in pairs that are bound to each other by hydrogen bonds.
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Difference Between Ribose and Deoxyribose Sugar
| Ribose Sugar | Deoxyribose Sugar |
| Found in RNA | Found in DNA |
| Ring structure of ribose has a hydroxyl group on carbon 2. | Lacks oxygen on the carbon 2 of the ring structure. |
| RNA is not flexible | DNA is more stable |
| OH group is present in position 2 | H group is present in position 2 |
| Forms backbone of RNA | Forms backbone of DNA |
| Chemical formula is H−(C=O)−(CHOH) 4 −H w | Chemical formula is H−(C=O)−(CH 2 )−(CHOH) 3 −H |
| IUPAC name is (2S,3R,4S,5R)-5- (hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol. | IUPAC's name is 2-deoxy-D-ribose or 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose. |
| Single-stranded | Double stranded |
| Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Uracil nitrogenous bases | Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine nitrogenous bases. |
| Discover by 1891 by Emil Fischer and Oskar Piloty | Discover by 1929 by Phoebus Levene |
Difference Between Deoxyribose and Ribose FAQs
What are DNA and RNA stand for?
DNA- Deoxyribonucleic Acid
RNA- Ribonucleic Acid
Who discover DNA?
Discover by Phoebus Levene.
What is the key difference between RNA and DNA?
DNA lacks an oxygen atom in the position of carbon no. 2 while RNA has a hydroxyl group on carbon 2.
Define Ribose Sugar and Deoxyribose Sugar
Ribose Sugar:
Ribose is a sugar that forms the backbone of an important molecule called ribonucleic acid (RNA). Ribose sugar is found in all cells naturally and helps in the translation of genetic material from DNA to protein. Ribose is five carbon ring sugar called pentose sugar and has a hydroxyl group in carbon 2.
Deoxyribose Sugar:
It is a five-carbon sugar that is present in the nucleotide of DNA. On carbon 2 oxygen is absent in the structure of DNA that why it's not able to repel the negative charge phosphate in a result ring DNA structure is a double helix.
What is the chemical formula of DNA?
H-(C=O)-(CH2)-(CHOH)3-H is the chemical formula of DNA
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