Class 12 NEET Biology Molecular Basis of Inheritance Questions Part 2

Statement I : RNA is indeed generally less stable than DNA and mutates at a faster rate. This is due to the presence of a hydroxyl group on the 2 ' carbon of RNA, which makes it more susceptible to hydrolysis and other chemical reactions. This increased rate of mutation can be beneficial for RNA viruses, for example, as it allows them to rapidly adapt to new environments or hosts.
Statement II : RNA, particularly mRNA (messenger RNA), can directly code for the synthesis of proteins. In the process of gene expression, DNA is first transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into protein. Hence, changes in the RNA sequence can directly affect the resultant protein and thus easily express different characters.