1.5 DNA and RNA (nucleic acids)

Question 1

What does DNA stand for?

Answer 1

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Question 2

What does RNA stand for?

Answer 2

Ribonucleic acid

Question 3

What are the two functions of DNA?

Answer 3

• replication
• protein synthesis

Question 4

What are the three types of RNA?

Answer 4

-rRNA (ribosomal RNA)
-tRNA (transfer RNA)
-mRNA (messenger RNA)

Question 5

Which is longer, DNA or RNA.

Answer 5

DNA

Question 6

Which bases are pyrimidines?

Answer 6

Cytosine
Uracil
Thymine

Question 7

Which bases are purines?

Answer 7

Adenine
Guanine

Question 8

Complementary bases are linked by bonds, what type of bonds are these?

Answer 8

Hydrogen bonds

Question 9

What does antiparallel mean?

Answer 9

Strands run in opposite directions while being parallel

Question 10

What is the shape of DNA?

Answer 10

Double stranded, double helix

Question 11

what is a purine?

Answer 11

two rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms

Question 12

pyrimidines

Answer 12

a single ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms

Question 13

what is nucleotide polymerisation

Answer 13

nucleotides join together via a condensation reaction (-H20)

Question 14

what bonds form during nucleotide polymerisation

Answer 14

phosphodiester bonds (covalent)

Question 15

where do phosphodiester bonds form

Answer 15

between phosphate group of one nucleotide and hydroxyl group on carbon 3 (of the sugar) of another

Question 16

do bases take part in in polymerisation?

Answer 16

no. there is a sugar-phosphate backbone

Question 17

what do many nucleotides form

Answer 17

a polynucleotide

Question 18

describe the structure of DNA

Answer 18

• double stranded + wound to form double helix
• antiparallel, both strands joined by hydrogen bonds
• complimentary base pairs form

Question 19

what is the function of DNA

Answer 19

(genetic material)
∴ replication + expression (protein synthesis)

Question 20

what does replication mean

Answer 20

DNA must be copied every time a cell divides

Question 21

what does expression mean

Answer 21

genes on DNA control characteristics.

Question 22

what is a gene

Answer 22

a section of DNA which codes for a particular protein

Question 23

what is transcription

Answer 23

making RNA

Question 24

what is translation

Answer 24

making proteins

Question 25

describe the structure of RNA

Answer 25

• single stranded
• shorter (than DNA)

Question 26

DNA vs RNA

Answer 26

RNA has sugar ribose instead of deoxyribose
RNA has base uracil instead of thymine
RNA is single stranded
RNA is shorter than DNA

Question 27

what is the function of mRNA

Answer 27

carries genetic code from DNA to ribosomes

Question 28

what is the function of rRNA

Answer 28

ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis

Question 29

what is the function of tRNA

Answer 29

transports amino acids to ribsomes