Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Assessment of DNA Contamination in RNA Samples Based on Ribosomal DNA
Published on: January 22, 2018
DNA-water interactions distinguish messenger RNA genes from transfer RNA genes
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016, India.
Abstract:
Physicochemical properties of DNA sequences as a guide to developing insights into genome organization has received little attention. Here, we utilize the energetics of DNA to further advance the knowledge on its language at a molecular level. Specifically, we ask the question whether physicochemical properties of different functional units on genomes differ. We extract intramolecular and solvation energies of different DNA base pair steps from a comprehensive set of molecular dynamics simulations. We then investigate the solvation behavior of DNA sequences coding for mRNAs and tRNAs. Distinguishing mRNA genes from tRNA genes is a tricky problem in genome annotation without assumptions on length of DNA and secondary structure of the product of transcription. We find that solvation energetics of DNA behaves as an extremely efficient property in discriminating 2,063,537 genes coding for mRNAs from 56,251 genes coding for tRNAs in all (~1500) completely sequenced prokaryotic genomes.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleic Acids
DNA and RNA
The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes, the...
Nucleic acids
DNA and RNA
The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes, the...
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA has a double-helix structure. The...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
Types of RNA
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...

