Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
What is the structural feature that forms when short regions of RNA form base pairs?
A
Linear strand
B
Triple helix
C
Double helix similar to DNA
D
Hairpin loop
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that RNA, like DNA, can form structures through base pairing, but RNA is typically single-stranded.
Recognize that when short regions of RNA form base pairs, they can create secondary structures.
Identify that one common secondary structure in RNA is the 'hairpin loop,' which occurs when a single strand folds back on itself and base pairs with a complementary section.
Visualize the hairpin loop as a stem-loop structure, where the 'stem' is the double-stranded region formed by base pairing, and the 'loop' is the unpaired region at the top.
Note that this structure is different from a linear strand, which does not involve folding, and from a triple helix, which involves three strands.