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AQA A-Level Biology 1-4 > 1.5 DNA and RNA > Flashcards

1.5 DNA and RNA Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the monomer that makes up DNA and RNA?

A

A nucleotide

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2
Q

What is a nucleotide made up of?

A

A pentose sugar
A phosphate group
A nitrogenous base

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3
Q

What sugar makes up DNA?

A

Deoxyribose

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4
Q

What does DNA stand for?

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid

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5
Q

What is the general structure of DNA?

A

Made up of two polynucleotide strands
They run in opposite directions (anti parallel)
They twist round each other called a double helix

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6
Q

How are nucleotides bonded together?

A

In a condensation reaction

Held together by phosphodiester bonds

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7
Q

What is the function of DNA?

A

It codes for manufacture of particular proteins or RNA

The hereditary material which carries information of genetic code to pass on from cell to cell and generation to generation

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8
Q

What is the deoxyribose and phosphate group also called?

A

The sugar phosphate backbone

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9
Q

What are the complementary base pairs?

A

Adenine - Thymine

Cytosine - Guanine

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10
Q

What are the pyrimidines?

A

Thymine and Cytosine

They have a single ring therefore are smaller

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11
Q

What are the purines?

A

Adenine and Guanine

They have a double ring structure and are therefore bigger

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12
Q

What are the hydrogen connections between the bases?

A 
A=T 
2 hydrogen bonds
Spikey letters (easier to grab)

G ≡ C
3 hydrogen bonds
Curley letters (harder to hold onto)

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13
Q

What are some features of DNA?

A 
Long coiling molecule
Sugar phosphate backbone 
Bases in sequence 
Complementary pairs
Hydrogen bonds 
Helical structure
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14
Q

How does DNA having the property of a long coiling molecule help?

A

Makes it very compact

You can store a lot of genetic material in a small space

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15
Q

How does DNA having the property of a sugar phosphate backbone help?

A

It is a very strong molecule
Denatured at 86 degrees
Very stable

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16
Q

How does DNA having the property of bases in sequence help?

A

It allows a lot of variation
They form triplet codes to relate to one amino acid

Therefore 64 variations of the triplet

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17
Q

How does DNA having the property of a complementary base pairing help?

A

The replications are a lot more accurate

Mutations are rare

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18
Q

How does DNA having the property of a many hydrogen bonds help?

A

Weak hydrogen bonds are easily overcome
DNA can separate easily meaning replication is much simpler
Adds stability as there are many

19
Q

How does DNA having the property of a helical structure help?

A

Protects more chemically reactive base pairs from physical and chemical forces

This allows genetic information not to be corrupted

20
Q

What did Griffiths conclude about DNA in 1928?

A

That if a virile strain was heated and put with a non-virile then the DNA in the virile strain can survive the heating and be taken in by the non-virile strain making it now virile

Therefore DNA was important

21
Q

What did Avery conclude about DNA in 1944?

A

That it was in fact DNA that contained the transformation for the virile strain

22
Q

What was the first Hershey-Chase experiment involving?

A

A bacteriophage with a sulfur (S35) labeled protein capsule i.e radioactively labelled

When the cell became infected the labelled capsule remained on the outside

23
Q

What was the second Hershey-Chase experiment involving?

A

A bacteriophage with a phosphorus labelled DNA

When the cell became infected we could see the phosphorus labelled DNA on the inside of the cell

24
Q

What did Hammerling use to do his experiment on the part of the cell controlling characteristics? Why?

A

Acetabularia

It is a single cell organism
Has distinguishable parts (cap, stalk, foot)
Quick regenerative properties
Nucleus in the foot

25
Q

What did Hammerlings conclude from his first experiment?

A

He cut the cap of and it regenerated

He cut the foot of and it didn’t regenerate

Therefore genetic information for regeneration must be in the foot

26
Q

What does RNA stand for?

A

Ribonucleic acid

27
Q

What is RNA made up of?

A

Nucleotide monomers containing

A pentose sugar
A phosphate group
A nitrogenous base

28
Q

What is the pentose sugar in RNA?

A

Ribose

29
Q

What are the bases in RNA?

A

Adenine
Cytosine
Guanine
Uracil

30
Q

What are the main differences between DNA and RNA?

A

Uracil instead of Thymine
RNA is single stranded
Ribose instead of deoxyribose

RNA can’t self replicate
RNA can leave the nucleus

31
Q

What are the three types of RNA?

A

Messenger RNA - mRNA
Transfer RNA - tRNA
Ribosomal RNA - rRNA

32
Q

What does mRNA do?

A

Transfers genetic information from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm

33
Q

What are the key features of mRNA?

A 
Single stranded polynucleotide 
Made by the transcription of the DNA (can form hydrogen bonds with DNA)
Much shorter than DNA (length of gene) 
Leaves the nucleus 
Unstable so easily broken down
34
Q

What does tRNA do?

A

Binds with amino acids to allow for protein synthesis

35
Q

What are the key features of tRNA?

A 
Relatively small (no nucleotides)
Single stranded folded into a clover shape
Amino acids attach to the extended end
36
Q

What does rRNA do?

A

Forms ribosomes

When rRNA combines with proteins

37
Q

What is the structure of rRNA?

A

60S and 40S subunits

S = svedbergs
Measures how fast molecules move in a centrifuge

38
Q

What is DNA replication?

A

When a cell divides a perfect copy of the information in the DNA needs to be reproduced

39
Q

What happens in DNA replication?

A

DNA helicase separates the two strands breaking the hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases
Free nucleotides are attracted to their complementary base pairs on the template strands
Then DNA polymerase joins the nucleotides together when they have lined up
Two identical strands are formed each one contains half the original DNA material

40
Q

Why does semi-conservative describe DNA replication?

A

One original parental strand remains in the new DNA molecule whilst one new strand coils around the original

41
Q

What does DNA polymerase do?

A

Joins the nucleotides together to form the new strand through the sugar phosphate backbone

It uses the template strand and the complementary base pairings to achieve this

42
Q

What does DNA helicase do?

A

It separates or unwinds the strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases

43
Q

What is significant about DNA polymerase?

A

It can only replicate a bit at a time in short sections

It can only travel in one direction
3’ - 5’

3 to 5 refers to the carbons on the deoxyribose

44
Q

In THE experiment to prove semi conservative replication where do the ticks go?

A

1
5
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AQA A-Level Biology 1-4 (20 decks)

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