2.6 Structure of DNA and RNA

Question 1

What are nucleic acids?

Answer 1

The genetic material of the cell

Question 2

What are nucleic acids composed of?

Answer 2

Nucleotides

Question 3

What are the three main components of each nucleotide?

Answer 3

5-carbon pentose sugar
Phosphate group
Nitrogenous base

Question 4

What shape is a 5-carbon pentose sugar depicted as?

Answer 4

Pentagon

Question 5

What shape is a phosphate group depicted as?

Answer 5

Circle

Question 6

What shape is a nitrogenous base depicted as?

Answer 6

Rectangle

Question 7

What is attached to the central pentose sugar?

Answer 7

The phosphate group and the nitrogenous base

Question 8

Specifically, what is the nitrogenous base attached to?

Answer 8

The 1’ carbon (right point)

Question 9

Specifically what is the phosphate group attached to?

Answer 9

The 5’ carbon (left point)

Question 10

What are the two types of nucleic acids present in cells?

Answer 10

DNA and RNA

Question 11

What is the more stable form of nucleic acids in cells?

Answer 11

DNA

Question 12

What is the double stranded nucleic acid?

Answer 12

DNA

Question 13

What does DNA do?

Answer 13

Stores the genetic blueprint for cells

Question 14

What is the more versatile nucleic acid in cells?

Answer 14

RNA

Question 15

What is the single stranded nucleic acid?

Answer 15

RNA

Question 16

What does RNA do?

Answer 16

Transfers the genetic information for decoding

Question 17

Where do you find the key differences between DNA and RNA?

Answer 17

In the different composition of DNA and RNA nucleotides

Question 18

What are the three key structural differences between DNA and RNA?

Answer 18

Number of strands present
Composition of nitrogenous bases
Type of pentose sugar

Question 19

What is the pentose sugar in DNA?

Answer 19

Deoxyribose

Question 20

What is the pentose sugar in RNA?

Answer 20

Ribose

Question 21

What are the four base composition of DNA?

Answer 21

Adenine (A)
Guanine (G)
Thymine (T)
Cytosine (C)

Question 22

What are the four base composition of RNA?

Answer 22

Adenine (A)
Guanine (G)
Cytosine (C)
Uracil (U)

Question 23

How many strands of DNA is there?

Answer 23

Two

Question 24

How many strands of RNA is there?

Answer 24

One

Question 25

What does the double stranded DNA form?

Answer 25

A double helix

Question 26

What are nucleic acids linked into?

Answer 26

Single strands

Question 27

How are nucleic acids linked via?

Answer 27

Via condensation reactions

Question 28

Where does the phosphate group attach to the sugar of another nucleotide?

Answer 28

At the 3' hydroxyl group

Question 29

What is the by product of the phosphodiester bond?

Answer 29

Water

Question 30

What does successive condensation reactions result in?

Answer 30

The formation of long nucleotide strands

Question 31

How are the two polynucleotide chains held together?

Answer 31

Via hydrogen bonding

Question 32

Where does hydrogen bonding occur?

Answer 32

Between complementary nitrogenous bases

Question 33

What does adenine pair with?

Answer 33

Thymine

Question 34

What does cytosine pair with?

Answer 34

Guanine

Question 35

How many hydrogen bonds are between Adenine and Thymine?

Answer 35

Two

Question 36

How many hydrogen bonds are between Guanine and Cytosine?

Answer 36

Three

Question 37

What must the strands be doing in order for the bases to be facing each other and able to pair?

Answer 37

The strands must be running in opposite directions

Question 38

What do the atoms do as the antiparallel chains lengthen?

Answer 38

The atoms will organise themselves into the most stable energy configuration

Question 39

What does the atomic arrangement result in?

Answer 39

The double stranded DNA in a double helix

Question 40

Who proposed the structural organisation of the DNA molecule?

Answer 40

Watson and Crick

Question 41

What did the model of watson and crick show?

Answer 41

DNA strands are anti parallel and a double helix DNA strands pair via complementary base pairing Outer edges of bases remain exposed

Question 42

What were the errors of the first trials of watson and crick?

Answer 42

a triple helix bases were on the outside and sugar phosphates residues in the centre Nitrogenous bases were not configured correctly and did not show complementarity

Question 43

What did the final construction of a correct DNA molecules owed to?

Answer 43

The xray crystallography data created by rosalind franklin

Question 44

What did Franklins data confirm?

Answer 44

The arrangement of the DNA strands into a helical structure

Question 45

What was the scandal behind Rosalind frankiln?

Answer 45

The data was shared without her permission and massively contributed to the final design