Which of the following organelle(s) in an animal cell would have DNA and RNA?
Nucleus only
Nucleus and mitochondria only
Nucleus, mitochondria and ribosomes
Mitochondria only
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2020
– Eukaryotic cells also contain DNA in certain organelles: mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA) and, in plant cells and some other eukaryotes, chloroplasts (chloroplast DNA or cpDNA). Animal cells lack chloroplasts.
– RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is involved in protein synthesis and other cellular processes. Various types of RNA (mRNA, tRNA, rRNA) are transcribed from DNA.
– In animal cells:
– Nucleus: Contains the main genome (DNA) and is where transcription occurs, producing various types of RNA. Thus, the nucleus has both DNA and RNA.
– Mitochondria: Contain their own circular DNA (mtDNA) and also have ribosomes (mitoribosomes) made of ribosomal RNA (mt-rRNA) and proteins, and produce their own mRNA and tRNA. Thus, mitochondria have both DNA and RNA.
– Ribosomes: Are complex molecular machines responsible for protein synthesis. They are composed of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins. Ribosomes themselves do not contain DNA. They read mRNA to build proteins.
– Therefore, in an animal cell, the nucleus and mitochondria are the organelles that contain both DNA and RNA.