2.3 - Nucleic Acids Flashcards
What are NUCLEOTIDES made up of (3) ?
- FIVE-CARBON SUGAR (pentose)
- PHOSPHATE GROUP
- NITROGENOUS BASE (Adenine,Cytosine,Thymine,Guanine)
What are nucleotides monomers of?
Nucleic acids, DNA and RNA.
What is the nucleotide pentose sugar in RNA?
What is the nucleotide pentose sugar in DNA?
The nucleotide pentose sugar in RNA is RIBOSE.
The nucleotide pentose sugar in DNA is DEOXYRIBOSE.
What are PHOSPHORYLATED NUCLEOTIDES?
Nucleotides that have more than one phosphate group.
Give 2 examples of phosphorylated nucleotides.
ADP (adenosine diphosphate)
ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
What is ATP?
An energy-rich product of most energy-releasing biochemical pathways, and it is used to drive most energy-requiring metabolic processes in cells.
What is AMP?
Adenosine monophosphate
What else, other than form the monomers of nucleic acid and become phosphorylated, can nucleotides do (2) ?
- help REGULATE many METABOLIC PATHWAYS (e.g. by ATP, ADP and AMP)
- become components of many coenzymes, e.g. adenine nucleotides are components of the coenzyme NADP (for photosynthesis), NAD (for respiration), FAD and Coenzyme A (respiration).
What is DNA in terms of polymers and monomers?
A polymer made up of many repeating monomeric units called nucleotides.
What does a molecule of DNA consist of?
TWO POLYNUCLEOTIDE STRANDS
What are polynucleotides?
A large molecule containing many nucleotides.
Why are DNA described as “anti-parallel”?
The two strands run in opposite directions.
What is the covalent bond between the sugar residue and the phosphate group in a nucleotide called?
PHOSPHODIESTER BOND
Describe how phosphodiester bonds are broken and formed in DNA.
Condensation reaction BREAKS the phosphodiester bond by forming water via the -OH of the deoxyribose and the -H of the phosphate group or the -H of the thymine.
Hydrolysis reaction FORMS the phosphodiester bond by adding H2O.
Which bases are PURINES?
How many rings do PURINES have?
Adenine or Guanine.
Purines have TWO rings.
Which bases are PYRIMIDINES?
How many rings do PYRIMIDINES have?
Thymine or Cytosine
Pyrimidines have ONE ring.
Which bases pair with which?
Adenine pairs with Thymine.
Cytosine pairs with Guanine.