Ribonucleic acid first-strand synthesis

For all forms of DNA, hydrogen bonding between the two spiral chains stabilizes the double helix. Replication of DNA occurs when the hydrogen bonds are broken, and the two strands are separated. These form the templates that are used to make identical copies, via enzymes called DNA polymerases. In fact, the second strand of the double helix is complementary to the first, it contains no extra information but is involved in replication. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is also found in cells. It has a similar structure to DNA, but the sugar is instead D-ribose and uracil bases replace thymine bases. RNA is important in the synthesis of proteins. It is produced from DNA templates via the process of transcription. Further details of protein biochemistry can be found elsewhere (e.g. Voet and Voet, 1995). Here we simply emphasize that life itself is created from that special class of soft material called polymers. 

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