A1.2 Flashcards
State thetwo primary functions of nucleic acids.
Nucleic acids have 2 functions :
1.Pass information between generations
2.Code for protein production
State the two types of nucleic acids used in cells
1.RNA - ribonucleic acid
2.DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid
Outline the meaning and implication of DNA being the genetic material of all living organisms.
DNA being the genetic material for all living things implies that all living things contain DNA and all living things come from a common ancestor. The more similar the genes, the more similar the organisms
State why RNA viruses do not falsify the claim that all living things use DNA as the genetic material
RNA viruses do not falsify the claim that all living things use DNA because viruses aren’t composed of cells therefore they are non-living
List three components of a nucleotide
Nitrogenous base, phosphate group , and pentose sugar
Identify and label the carbons of a pentose sugar
he carbons of a pentose sugar are numbered clockwise, starting with an oxygen at the top and a phosphate group at the left
Define “backbone” as related to nucleic acid structure
The back bone is the chain of sugar phosphate bonds that are found in a polymer of a nucleic acids.
Explain how nucleotides connect to form a nucleic acid polyme
The 5’ phosphate group forms a covalent bond with the 3’ carbon of another nucleotide through condensation, water is a biproduct of this reaction
State the names of the nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA
Thymine, Uracil, Guanine, Adenine and Cytosine
State a similarity and a difference between the nitrogenous bases
All nitrogenous bases have different structures, however they all contain nitrogen
Outline how the sequence of bases in a nucleic acid serves as a ‘code
The sequences of bases serves as a a code for storing genetic information for all living organism. Code meaning a symbol that signifies the meaning of another symbol. For example in genetic code three nitrogenous bases signifies an amino acid
Describe the condensation reaction that forms a polymer of RNA from RNA nucleotides
The condensation reaction that forms a polymer of RNA is the linking of the phosphate group at 5’ and the sugar at 3’ this link creates water as a bi-product
Identify the monomer and polymer of an RNA molecule
The monomer is a single nucleotide whereas the polymer is the chain of nucleotides
Define gene
A specific sequence of nitrogenous bases in DNA that codes for the making of a protein
Describe the structure of a DNA double helix
two antiparallel strands of nucleotides each with a sugar phosphate backbone are linked through their nitrogenous bases through complementary base pairing. A and T; C and G so when the 2 strands wind around each other it forms a helix
Define antiparallel in relation to DNA structure
An antiparallel structure means that one DNA strand runs 5’ to 3’ and the other runs 3’ to 5’
Compare and contrast the structures of DNA and RNA
DNA and RNA are both made up of nucleotides linked in a chain and they both have the nitrogenous bases A, C and G. However DNA is made up of 2 chains of nucleotides that run antiparallel to each other, and DNA has the bases A, C, G, and T whereas RNA has the bases A, C, G, and U
Outline the complementary base pairing rule, including the type and number of bonds between bases
complementary base pairing always links the bases cytosine with guanine (3 H-bonds) and adenine with thymine 2(H-Bonds)
Compare and contrast the functionsof DNA and RNA
DNA is used to store all genetic information, and pass hereditary information between generations of cells. Codes for making RNA during transcription
RNA codes for making proteins during translation
Compare and contrast the location ofDNA and RNA in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
Outline the role of complementary base pairing in maintaining the DNA sequence during DNA replication
When duplicating a DNA sequence the DNA splits in half, and each strand is used as a template for the creation of the new strand. The new strand can only have a specific code as complementary base pairing suggests that there is only one possible base that can match with each base. So when both strands are finished you now have two identical DNA sequences
Outline the role of complementary base pairing in transmitting the genetic code in transcription and translation
During transcription one of the two DNA strands is used as a template for the creation of an RNA strand. Because of the base pairing rule the DNA strand will always code for the complementary base sequence of RNA nucleotides (A to U, C to G). The complementary base pairing will maintain the sequence of the gene as mRNA is translate into protein.
During the translation of mRNA to protein. The ribosome builds a polypeptide by reading the mRNA template and binding the coded amino acid to the polypeptide chain
Outline why there is a limitless diversity of DNA base sequences
There are four nitrogenous bases in DNA. These 4 bases are components of nucleotides that can form a DNA molecule in any order and of any length
Defineuniversalin relation to the genetic code
Genetic code is universal because the genetic code can be found in all living organisms meaning that genetic code is universal