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Z Biology: Module 2 > 3.8 Nucleic acids > Flashcards

3.8 Nucleic acids Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a nucleic acid? (2 marks)

A

Large polymers formed by many nucleotides linked together, that were discovered in cell nuclei.

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2
Q

Name the two types of nucleic acid. (1 mark)

A

RNA
DNA

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3
Q

What elements do nucleic acids contain? (2 marks)

A

Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus

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4
Q

Describe the structure of a nucleotide. (3 marks)

A

Pentose sugar bonded to:
A phosphate group
And a nitrogenous base

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5
Q

How are nucleotides linked together? (2 marks)

A

Condensation reactions between the phosphate group on the 5th carbon and the hydroxyl group on the 3rd carbon.

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6
Q

What are the covalent bonds between nucleotides called? (1 mark)

A

Phosphodiester bonds.

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7
Q

Nucleotides joined by condensation reactions are sometimes referred to as a strong s_____-p__________ b_______. (1 mark)

A

Strong sugar-phosphate backbone

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8
Q

What does DNA stand for? (2 marks)

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid

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9
Q

Wat pentose sugar does DNA contain? (1 mark)

A

Deoxyribose

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10
Q

What four bases can each nucleotide in DNA contain? (4 marks)

A

Thymine
Cytosine
Adenine
Guanine

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11
Q

Bases can be divided into two groups depending on what?

A

How many carbon rings they have.

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12
Q

What are the two categories of base? (2 marks)

A

Pyrimidines
Purines

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13
Q

How many carbon rings do pyrimidines have? (1 mark)

A

One

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14
Q

How many carbon rings do purines have? (1 mark)

A

Two

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15
Q

Name the two bases in DNA with two carbon rings. (2 marks)

A

Adenine
Guanine

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16
Q

Name the two bases in DNA with one carbon ring. (2 marks)

A

Thymine
Cytosine

17
Q

Name the bases in DNA that are pyrimidines. (2 marks)

A

Thymine
Cytosine

18
Q

Name the two bases in DNA that are purines. (2 marks)

A

Adenine
Guanine

19
Q

What is a DNA molecule made up of? (2 marks)

A

Two strands of polynucleotides coiled into a helix, known as a double helix.

20
Q

What are the two strands in a DNA molecule held together by? (1 mark)

A

Hydrogen bonds between bases.

21
Q

The two strands in a DNA molecule are a_____________ because they run in o__________ d_____________.

A

The two strands in a DNA molecule are anti-parallel because they run in opposite directions.

22
Q

What does the pairing between bases allow for DNA? (1 mark)

A

Allows DNA to be copied and transcribed.

23
Q

What are the complementary base pairings? (2 marks)

A

Adenine-thymine
Cytosine-guanine

24
Q

Why is it important that a small base always binds with a larger base? (2 marks)

A

Maintains a constant distance between the DNA backbones, resulting in parallel polynucleotide chains.

25
Q

What carries the genetic information of an organism in the form of code (1 mark)

A

The sequence of bases along a DNA strand.

26
Q

What pentose sugar is in RNA? (1 mark)

A

Ribose

27
Q

What does RNA stand for? (2 marks)

A

Ribonucleic acid

28
Q

Why can DNA not leave the nucleus, why is this a problem, and how is this problem be solved? (4 marks)

A

DNA cannot supply the information directly to the sites of protein synthesis.
Short sections of the long DNA molecule (corresponding to a single gene) is transcribed into a short messenger RNA (mRNA), this can leave the nucleus.

29
Q

Which base is different in RNA in comparison to DNA? (1 mark)

A

No thymine
Uracil instead

30
Q

Is uracil a pyrimidine or a purine? (1 mark)

A

Pyrimidine

31
Q

What happens to the RNA molecules after protein synthesis? (2 marks)

A

They are degraded in the cytoplasm- the phosphodiester bonds are hydrolysed and the RNA nucleotides are released and reused.

32
Q

Describe how DNA can be extracted from plant material. (6 marks)

A
  1. Grind sample using a mortar and pestle
  2. Mix sample with detergent
  3. Add salt
  4. Add protease enzyme
  5. Add a layer of alcohol on top of the solution
  6. The DNA forms white strands between the layer of sample and layer of alcohol, ‘spool’ with a glass rod to pick them up.
33
Q

When extracting DNA from plant material, what does grinding the sample do? (1 mark)

A

Break down the cell walls.

34
Q

When extracting DNA from plant material, what does mixing the sample with a detergent do? (1 mark)

A

Breaks down the cell membrane, releasing the cell contents.

35
Q

When extracting DNA from plant material, what does adding salt to the sample do? (1 mark)

A

Breaks hydrogen bonds between the DNA and water molecules.

36
Q

When extracting DNA from plant material, what does adding protease enzyme do? (1 mark)

A

Break down the proteins associated with the DNA in the nuclei.

37
Q

When extracting DNA from plant material, what does adding a layer of alcohol on top of the sample do? (1 mark)

A

Causes the DNA to precipitate out of solution.

38
Q

Is RNA single or double stranded? (1 mark)

A

Single

Z Biology: Module 2 (28 decks)

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