Model, RNA, on Board

Quick Answer: The RNA model on board is a board-mounted model of ribonucleic acid, showing a strand built from ribose sugar, phosphate and the four RNA bases adenine, uracil, guanine and cytosine. Biology teachers use it to show how RNA differs from DNA and to explain its role in making proteins.

How the RNA Model Differs from DNA

RNA is built from nucleotides like DNA, but with three key differences that an RNA model is designed to show. Its sugar is ribose, which carries an extra hydroxyl group compared with deoxyribose; it uses the base uracil in place of thymine; and it is usually a single strand rather than a double helix. Colour-coding lets students pick out each base, and the absence of a second strand is obvious when the board is placed beside a DNA model.

A single strand of RNA can still fold, because bases along the same strand pair with one another where their sequences match. Transfer RNA folds into a cloverleaf, and ribosomal RNA into complex shapes that help form the ribosome. Messenger RNA carries a copy of a gene’s code from the nucleus to the ribosomes, where it is read three bases, one codon, at a time.

Which of these forms the board shows, whether a simple strand, an mRNA with codons or a tRNA, is not stated in the title. The companion DNA structure model on board makes a direct comparison possible, and the DNA simulation kit lets students build strands themselves.

Care & Handling

• Fix the RNA model on board securely if it is wall-hung, and not above benches where it could fall on glassware.
• Clean with a soft, dry brush.
• Store it flat or upright in its packaging when not on display, so raised parts are not pressed.

Applications

• Comparing RNA and DNA structure in secondary biology
• Teaching transcription and the role of messenger RNA
• Introducing codons and translation at the ribosome
• Display beside a DNA model in a genetics or molecular biology lab

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Schools that teach protein synthesis often buy DNA and RNA board models as a pair so the differences can be shown side by side. This model is part of LabEquip’s biology lab products, and enquiries go through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between RNA and DNA?

RNA contains ribose instead of deoxyribose, uses uracil instead of thymine and is usually single-stranded. DNA stores genetic information long term, while RNA molecules carry and use that information.

What are the three main types of RNA?

Messenger RNA carries the code for a protein from DNA to the ribosome; transfer RNA brings the matching amino acids; and ribosomal RNA forms part of the ribosome and helps join the amino acids together.

What is transcription?

Transcription is the copying of a gene’s DNA sequence into a complementary strand of messenger RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase. Where the DNA template has adenine, the RNA receives uracil.

What is a codon?

A codon is a sequence of three bases on messenger RNA that specifies one amino acid or a stop signal. The ribosome reads codons one after another during translation.

Why is RNA less stable than DNA?

The extra hydroxyl group on ribose makes the RNA backbone easier to break, and single strands are more exposed to enzymes. This suits RNA’s role as a short-lived working copy.

Why buy an RNA model as well as a DNA model?

Seeing the two side by side makes the differences in sugar, bases and strand number concrete. It also helps students follow the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein.

Last Updated: September 2026