What is the Difference Between Oligonucleotide and Polynucleotide?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚Oligonucleotides and polynucleotides are both types of nucleotide chains, but they differ in length and composition. Here are the main differences between them:
- Length: Oligonucleotides are short nucleotide chains, generally composed of fewer than 30 subunits, while polynucleotides are comparatively larger, with 13 or more monomer units.
- Composition: Oligonucleotides are small and similar molecules of RNA or DNA, and they are naturally found as microRNA (22 nucleotides). Polynucleotides, on the other hand, are biopolymers composed of 13 or more nucleotide monomers.
- Function: Oligonucleotides are used in a variety of biological techniques, such as probing, PCR, molecular cloning, and DNA sequencing, as well as in antisense therapy. Polynucleotides are mainly used in PCR and DNA sequencing.
- Artificial Synthesis: Polynucleotides can be made artificially from oligonucleotides or other small nucleotide chains, using a polymerase enzyme to extend the chain by adding nucleotides according to a pattern specified by the scientist.
In summary, oligonucleotides are shorter nucleotide chains with generally fewer than 30 subunits, while polynucleotides are larger chains with 13 or more monomer units. Both types of nucleotides have different functions and applications in molecular biology and biochemistry.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Oligonucleotide and Polynucleotide? Comparative Table: Oligonucleotide vs Polynucleotide
Comparative Table: Oligonucleotide vs Polynucleotide
Here is a table summarizing the differences between oligonucleotides and polynucleotides:
Feature | Oligonucleotides | Polynucleotides |
---|---|---|
Size | Short nucleotide monomers, usually 13-25 nucleotides | Large nucleotide chains, usually 13 or more nucleotide monomers |
Occurrence | Naturally occurring as microRNA (22 nucleotides) | Found in all organisms |
Artificial Synthesis | Can be artificially made | Can be synthesized artificially using oligonucleotides |
Biological Techniques | Used in DNA sequencing, PCR, molecular cloning, etc. | Used in DNA sequencing, PCR, and antisense therapy |
Sequence-specific Binding | Readily bind to their complementary oligonucleotides in a sequence-specific manner | Not mentioned |
Both oligonucleotides and polynucleotides are composed of nucleotide monomers, which are the basic structural units of DNA and RNA. They are involved in various genetic techniques, including FISH and PCR.
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- Nucleotide vs Nucleoside
- a Ribonucleotide vs a Deoxyribonucleotide
- Amino Acid vs Nucleotide
- Orthophosphate vs Polyphosphate
- Polymerase vs Primase
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- Amino Acid vs Nucleic Acid
- Polymer vs Monomer
- Polymer vs Copolymer
- DNA vs RNA
- Polypeptide vs Protein
- Nucleotide vs Base