What is the difference between DNA and RNA?

DNA is responsible for storing and transferring genetic information whereas RNA directly codes for amino acids in the production of proteins. The differences between DNA and RNA and how they ultimately (most often) relate to proteins that carry out essential cellular functions in organisms can most succinctly be described by what has been referred to as the “central dogma of molecular biology,” which describes the sequential flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein.

In a living cell, DNA is the master copy of all information about life. It is permanently stored in the nucleus. The RNA on the other hand is a molecule that copies some of the info from the DNA (a process called transcription) and takes it outside of the nucleus, where that info can be translated into proteins. Proteins are large and complex molecules that do much of the work in living cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the plant’s tissues and organs.

Researchers at BRIT explore the differences between DNA, RNA, and proteins using tools in this laboratory among the diverse groups of plants and fungi we study here.