What is the Difference Between DNA and cDNA?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between DNA and cDNA lies in their composition and origin. Here are the key differences:
- Composition: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material of living organisms, containing both coding (exons) and non-coding (introns) sequences. In contrast, cDNA (complementary DNA) is synthetic DNA that has been transcribed from a specific mRNA through a reaction using the enzyme reverse transcriptase. cDNA contains only coding sequences, as it is derived from mRNA, which lacks introns.
- Origin: DNA is the genetic material transmitted from parents to offspring through gametes during reproduction. cDNA, on the other hand, is synthesized in the laboratory from mRNA or miRNA templates in a reaction catalyzed by reverse transcriptase.
- Applications: Genomic DNA (gDNA) can be used to make genomic libraries for DNA sequencing, fingerprinting, differentiation, and other applications in clinical and research fields. cDNA can be used to make cDNA libraries, which are permanent collections of cDNA that can be copied and/or stored long term. Scientists often use cDNA as a tool in gene cloning and other research experiments.
In summary, DNA is the natural genetic material containing both coding and non-coding sequences, while cDNA is a synthetic DNA that contains only coding sequences and is derived from mRNA.
Comparative Table: DNA vs cDNA
Here is a table comparing the differences between DNA and cDNA:
Feature | DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) | cDNA (Complementary DNA) |
---|---|---|
Definition | DNA is the molecule that carries the instructions for all aspects of an organism's functions. | cDNA is synthesized using total RNA isolation and reverse transcription, resulting in a DNA copy that lacks introns. |
Structure | Contains introns and exons. | Contains only exons, as introns are removed during the transcription process. |
Information | Represents all genes. | Represents genes expressed in a particular cell at a given time. |
Size | Larger compared to cDNA. | Smaller compared to genomic DNA. |
Applications | Used for SNP analysis, methylation studies, copy number variation analysis, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), Southern Blotting, Next Generation Sequencing, and PCR. | Used to study the activity of genes and their expression in specific cells or tissues. |
DNA contains both introns and exons, while cDNA only contains exons, as the introns are removed during the transcription process. DNA represents all genes, whereas cDNA represents only the genes that are actively being used by a specific cell or tissue at a particular point in time.
Read more:
- rDNA vs cDNA
- CDS vs cDNA
- DNA vs RNA
- cDNA vs Genomic Library
- DNA vs mRNA
- Gene vs DNA
- Transcription vs Translation in DNA
- DNA vs RNA Synthesis
- DNA vs DNAse
- DNA vs RNA Structure
- DNA Replication vs Transcription
- DNA vs RNA Isolation
- DNA vs RNA Viruses
- DNA vs RNA Nucleotide
- DNA vs Protein Sequence
- RNA vs mRNA
- DNA vs RNA Extraction
- PCR vs DNA Replication
- DNA vs Chromosome