View source for RNA Structure

<p>RNA molecules often adopt complex 3-dimensional structures in nature. The structure of RNA and other large biomolecules can be broken down into four levels of increasing complexity.</p>

== Primary Structure ==
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Main article: [[Sequence]] </em></p>
<p>The primary structure of RNA consists of the nucleotide sequence, customarily written in the [[Directionality of RNA|5' to 3' direction]].</p>

== Secondary Structure ==
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Main article: [[Secondary Structural Motifs in RNA]] </em></p>
<p>The secondary structure of RNA is created by [[Base Pair|base pairing]] between [[Complementarity|complementary regions]]. Two general types of secondary structure are encountered in EteRNA: [[stack]]s and [[loop]]s. Stacks, or helices, are regions of paired bases, while loops are regions of unpaired bases. An additional type of secondary structure, the pseudoknot, is not present in EteRNA puzzles.  The EteRNA game currently displays secondary structure. [[Puzzles]] in EteRNA focus on the creation of [[sequence]]s that adopt a given secondary structure. Secondary structure can be conveniently represented in [[Dot-Bracket Notation|dot-bracket notation]].</p>

== Tertiary Structure ==
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Main article: [[Tertiary Structure]] </em></p>
<p dir="ltr">The tertiary structure of RNA refers to the 3-dimensional structure of the molecule. While the secondary structure of a hairpin might specify the paired and unpaired bases, the tertiary structure describes the position of each atom in space. The biological activity of many RNAs requires that the molecule adopt a specific tertiary structure.</p>

== Quaternary Structure ==
<p>The quaternary structure of RNA refers to complexes formed by multiple interacting RNA and/or protein molecules.</p>

== See Also ==
<ul>
<li>[[Secondary Structure Prediction]]</li>
<li>[[Techniques for Determining RNA Structure]]</li>
</ul>
<p>[[Category:RNA]]</p>