Chapter 3- DNA (Bio Mol cont.) Flashcards
What is a special property of Nucleic Acids?
- Ability to be copied
- Ability to carry instructions
What are the components of a nucleotide?
- Nitrogen containing base
- Pentose Sugar (5 carbon atoms)
- Phosphate Group
e.g. DNA, RNA = polymers
individual nucleotides = monomer that build up polynucleotides
What are the 5 nitrogenous bases?
- A = adenine
- T = thymine
- U = uracil
- C = cytosine
- G = guanine
What is a Purine and Pyrimidine? Which bases go under which?
Purines (LARGER):
- double rings of carbon an nitrogen atoms
- Adenine
- Guanine
Pyrimidines (smaller):
- single ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms
- Thymine
- Uracil
- Cytosine
In complementary base pairing- 1 purine always opposite 1 pyrimidine.
What is the difference between RNA and DNA?
DNA:
- double stranded
- thymine as base with adenine
- different sugar - deoxyribose
- double helix
RNA:
- single stranded
- uracil as base with adenine
- different sugar - ribose
- single helix
- can leave nucleus!
Explain how nucleotides are added to a chain and what kind of bond is formed:
- A phosphodiester bond occurs between nucleotides (monomers that build nucleic acid)
- forming the sugar-phosphate backbone.
- Phosphodiester bond formation occurs by the removal of a water molecule when 2 hydroxyl groups from 2 different sugars bond with a phosphate group
- = a condensation reaction
Both DNA and RNA undergo condensation reaction to form phosphodiester bonds to form polymers.
What is the role of mRNA (brief):
mRNA transfers genetic info from nucleus to ribosome
What is the role of rRNA (brief)?
rRNA makes up ribosomes where translation occurs.
rNA directs catalytic steps of protein synthesis
sometimes called a ribozyme
What is the role of tRNA (brief)?
tRNA molecules bring AAs to ribosome.
Explain the formation of sugar-phosphate backbone:
- 2 stands side-by-side running in opposite directions (anti-parallel)
- 2 strands are held together by weak H-bonds (twisted into coil = double helix)
- Look at image below for last steps:
Why does DNA replication occur?
- When cells divide, daughter cell must receive exact copy of genetic material from parent cell
- In order for this to occur, DNA in parent cell must be replicated.
Describe the stages of Semi-conservative DNA replication:
What are Okazaki Fragments? Draw and describe the process of formation:
What is translation in basic terms (not all the the stages, just what it does)
Translation is process where mRNA code is ‘read’ + translated into protein
Occurs in ribosomes
Process involves another type of RNA molecule = tRNA (transfer RNA)
After mRNA is made, leaves nucleus through nuclear pore.
What occurs in Transcription?