Chapter 21-Nucleic Acids An Protein Synthesis Flashcards
Types of Nucleic acids
Deoxyribonucleic (DNA) and ribonucleic (RNA)
Nucleotides
Unbranched polymers of repeating monomer units
Ex: DNA and RNA
How many nucleotides does a DNA molecule contain?
Several million
Three components of a nucleotide.
Base, five-carbon sugar, and a phosphate.
Phosphoryl group
When -PO3(2-) is part of a larger molecule
Base- in Nucleic acids
Derivatives of pyramidine or purine
Purine bases with double rings (DNA)
Adenine (A) and guinine (G)
Pyrimidine bases with with single rings (DNA)
Cytosine (C) and thymine (T)
RNA bases
Adenine(A), guanine (G) and cytosine (C) but thymine is replaced with uracil (U)
Five-carbon sugar (RNA)
Ribose (r-in RNA)
Atoms in pentose sugars
Numbered with primes (1’, 2’,3’,4’, and 5’)
-used to differentiate them from atoms in the bases
Five-carbon sugar (DNA)
Deoxyribose (d in DNA)
- similar to ribose except there is no hydroxyl group on c2’
- deoxy means “without oxygen”
How is a nucleoside produced?
When a pyrimidine or a purine forms a glycosidic bond to C1’ of a sugar (either a ribose or a deoxyribose)
Example: adenine, a purine, and ribose form a nucleoside called adenosine
How is a nucleotide produced?
When the C5’ -OH group of ribose or deoxyribose in a nucleoside forms a phosphate ester.
5’ monophosphate nucleotides
Found in DNA and RNA.
Naming nucleosides
Nucleoside that contains a purine- ends with -osine
Nucleoside that contains a pyrimidine- ends with -idine
Corresponding nucleotides in RNA and DNA are named by adding 5’-monophosphate.
Examples: adenosine-5’-monophosphate (amp)
ATP
Energy molecule in our bodies
Major source of energy for most energy-requiring activities in the cell
GMP+phosphate=GDP and GTP (energy source for protein synthesis)
dGMP+phosphate=dGDP and dGTP (intermediate in phospholipid synthesis)
Diphosphates
Phosphoryl group in any nucleoside can bond to one additional phosphate group (ADP) adenosine-5’-diphosphate
Triphosphate
Phosphoryl group in nucleoside-5’-monophosphate bonds to two additional phosphate groups to form a triphosphate. (adenosine-5’-triphosphate) ATP
Nucleic acids
Polymers of many nucleotides in which the 3’-hydroxyl group of the sugar in one nucleotide bonds to the 5’-carbon atom in the sugar of the next nucleotide.
Phosphidiester bond
The link between the sugars in adjacent nucleotides
Primary structure
Each Nucleic acid has its own unique sequence of bases.
Nucleic acid sequence
Read from sugar with free 5’-phosphate to the sugar with free 3’-hydroxyl group.
Example: nucleotide sequence starting with adenine (free 5’-phosphate end) in the section of RNA 5’-A-C-G-U-3
Specific relationship between bases
The amount of adenine (A) is equal to the amount of thymine (T), and the amount of guanine (G) is equal to the amount of (C) cytosine.
Chargoff’s rules
Number of purine molecules=number of pyrimidine molecules
A=T
G=C
Double helix
Consists of two polynucleotide strands winding about each other like a spiral staircase
complimentary base pairs
A-T- form one hydrogen bond
G-C- form three hydrogen bonds
each of bases along a polynucleotide strand forms hydrogen bonds to a specific base on the opposite DNA strand
replication
strands in the parent DNA molecule separate, which allows the synthesis of complimentary strands of DNA.
Replication process
Stars when an enzyme called helicase catalyzes the unwinding of a portion of the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the complimentary bases.
These strands are now templates for the synthesis of new complementary strands of DNA.
DNA Polymerase
Catalyzes the formation of phosphodiester bonds between the nucleotides.
Hydrolysis of pyrophosphate
Releases energy for the new bonds
Semi-conservative replication
Produces two new DNA’s called daughter DNA’s that are identical to each other and exact copies of the original parent DNA
Helicase
Unwinding of DNA that occurs simultaneously in several sections along the parent DNA molecule
Replication forks
DNA polymerase catalyzes the replication process at each of these open DNA sections
Catalyzes only phosphodiester bonds and must move in opposite directions alongside the separate strands on DNA.
Leading strand
The new DNA strand that grows in the 5’-3’ direction is synthesized continuously
Lagging strand
Synthesized in the opposite direction, which is in the reverse 3’-5’ direction
Okazaki fragments
Parts of lagging strand that are synthesized at the same time by several DNA polymerases and connected to form continuous strand by DNA ligases to give a sing 3’-5’ DNA strand.
What makes up most of the Nucleic acid found in the cell?
RNA
RNA
Involved in transmitting the genetic information needed to operate the cell
Unbranched polymers of nucleotides
Differences in RNA from DNA
- the sugar in RNA is ribose rather than deoxyribose found in DNA
- in RNA, the base uracil replaces thymine
- RNA molecules are single-stranded Nucleic acids
- RNA molecules are much smaller than DNA molecules
Three major types of RNA in the cells
Messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA
Most abundant type of RNA?
Ribosomal RNA- 80% of RNA
How is ribosomal RNA combined?
With proteins in the ribosomes.
Ribosomes
The sites within the cells where protein synthesis occurs
How many sub units do ribosomes have?
2
A large subunit and a small subunit
Purpose of messenger RNA
carries information for protein synthesis from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes
5% of RNA
Purpose is transfer DNA
Brings amino acids to the ribosomes for protein synthesis
15% of RNA