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Biology > 3.1 Biological molecules - DNA & RNA, DNA replication > Flashcards

3.1 Biological molecules - DNA & RNA, DNA replication Flashcards

1
Q

what codes for the sequence of amino acids in the primary structure of a protein?

A

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

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2
Q

is DNA a monomer or a polymer?

A

polymer

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3
Q

what shape does DNA have?

A

double helix shape

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4
Q

what is the monomer that makes up DNA called?

A

a nucleotide

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5
Q

what is a nucleotide made up of?

A

deoxyribose (a pentose sugar)

a nitrogenous base

one phosphate group

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6
Q

what are the different possible nitrogenous bases in a nucleotide?

A

guanine

cytosine

adenine

thymine

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7
Q

what is a polymer of nucleotides called?

A

a polynucleotide

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8
Q

what reaction makes a polynucleotide?

A

via condensation reactions

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9
Q

in the condensation reaction between nucleotides, what does it happen between?

A

between the deoxyribose sugar and the phosphate group

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10
Q

what bond is created during the condensation reaction of nucleotides?

A

phosphodiester bond

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11
Q

what is a phosphodiester bond like?

A

phosphodiester bonds are strong covalent bonds

therefore help ensure that the genetic code is not broken down

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12
Q

what type of ‘backbone’ does a polynucleotide have?

A

sugar-phosphate

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13
Q

what does the sugar phosphate backbone in a polynucleotide describe?

A

the strong covalent bonds between the sugar and phosphate groups that hold the polymer together

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14
Q

what bonds are the DNA polymers held together by?

A

hydrogen bonds between the bases

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15
Q

where can hydrogen bonds only form between?

A

complementary base pairs

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16
Q

what are the complimentary base pairs?

A

the base cytosine can only form hydrogen bonds with guanine and adenine can only bond with thymine

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17
Q

how many hydrogen bonds do adenine and thymine form?

A

adenine and thymine form 2 hydrogen bonds

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18
Q

how many hydrogen bonds do cytosine and guanine form?

A

cytosine and guanine can form 3 hydrogen bonds

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19
Q

why is complimentary base pairing important?

A

to help maintain the order of the genetic code when DNA replicates, therefore reducing the chance of mutations

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20
Q

why does DNA have a stable structure?

A

due to the sugar-phosphate backbone (covalent bonds) and the double helix to prevent damage

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21
Q

why is DNA double stranded?

A

so replication can occur using one strand as a template

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22
Q

why does DNA have weak hydrogen bonds?

A

for easy separation of the two strands in a double helix during
replication

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23
Q

why is DNA a large molecule?

A

to carry lots of genetic information

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24
Q

why does DNA have complimentary base pairing?

A

complementary base pairing allows identical copies to be made

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25
Q

is RNA a monomer or a polymer?

A

is a polymer of a nucleotide

26
Q

what is RNA made up of?

A

ribose

a nitrogenous base

a phosphate group

27
Q

what are the nitrogenous bases in RNA?

A

adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil

28
Q

what base does RNA have instead of thymine?

A

uracil

29
Q

what is RNA like in comparison to DNA?

A

in comparison to the DNA polymer, the RNA polymer
is a relatively short polynucleotide chain and it is single-stranded

30
Q

what is the function of RNA?

A

the function of RNA is to copy and transfer the genetic code from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes

31
Q

what is some RNA also combined with to make proteins?

A

proteins

32
Q

what are the three types of RNA?

A

mRNA
tRNA
rRNA

33
Q

what does mRNA stand for?

A

messenger RNA

34
Q

what does tRNA stand for?

A

transfer RNA

35
Q

what does rRNA stand for?

A

ribosomal RNA

36
Q

what is mRNA?

A

a copy of a gene from DNA

37
Q

where is mRNA created?

A

created in the nucleus

38
Q

where does the mRNA carry the copy of the genetic code
of one gene to?

A

a ribosome in the cytoplasm

39
Q

why is mRNA much shorter than DNA?

A

it is only the length of one gene

therefore it can leave the nucleus as it is small enough to fit through the nuclear pores

40
Q

why is mRNA short lived?

A

it is only needed temporarily to help create a protein, therefore by the time any enzymes could break it down, it would have already carried out its function

41
Q

is mRNA single stranded?

A

yes

42
Q

what are the 3 bases in mRNA called?

A

codons

43
Q

where is tRNA found?

A

only in the cytoplasm

44
Q

is tRNA double stranded?

A

no - single stranded

45
Q

what shape is tRNA folded into?

A

a cloverleaf shape

46
Q

what bonds hold the cloverleaf shape of tRNA in shape?

A

hydrogen bonds

47
Q

what is the function of tRNA?

A

to attach to one of the 20 amino acids and transfer this amino acid to the ribosome to create the polypeptide chain

48
Q

what amino acids attach to specific tRNA molecules?

A

specific

49
Q

what are the 3 bases found on the tRNA which are complementary to the 3 bases on mRNA called?

A

anticodon because they are complementary to the codon on mRNA

50
Q

what is rRNA?

A

the type of RNA that makes up the bulk of ribosomes

51
Q

what is the rest of the ribosome made up of that is not the rRNA?

A

protein

52
Q

what are the differences between the DNA and RNA monomer?

A

DNA contains the base thymine, whereas RNA contains uracil instead

DNA contains the pentose sugar deoxyribose, whereas RNA contains the pentose sugar ribose

53
Q

what are the differences between the polymers of DNA and RNA?

A

DNA is much larger because it contains approximately 23,000 genes, whereas RNA is much shorter because it is only the length of one gene

DNA is double-stranded, whereas RNA is single-stranded

54
Q

what must all cells do before division?

A

all the DNA must replicate to provide a copy for the new cell

55
Q

what is the process for DNA replication called?

A

semi-conservative replication (in the daughter DNA, one strand is from the parental DNA and one strand is newly synthesised)

56
Q

what enzymes does semi conservative replication require?

A

DNA helicase and DNA polymerase

57
Q

what is step 1 of semi conservative replication?

A

DNA helicase breaks the hydrogen bonds between the complementary base pairs between the two stands within a
double helix

this causes the DNA double helix to unwind

58
Q

what is step 2 of semi conservative replication?

A

each of the separated parental DNA strands acts as a
template

free-floating DNA nucleotides within the nucleus are attracted to their complementary base pairs on the template strands of the parental DNA

59
Q

what is step 3 of semi conservative replication?

A

the adjacent nucleotides are joined together (to form the
phosphodiester bond) by a condensation reaction

DNA polymerase catalyses the joining together of adjacent
nucleotides

60
Q

what is step 4 of semi conservative replication?

A

the two sets of daughter DNA contain one strand of the parental (original) DNA and one newly synthesised strand

Biology (8 decks)

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