Chapter 4: Nucleic Acids Flashcards
Two types of nucleic acids?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
What makes nucleic acids?
monomers called nucleotides.
DNA provides (blank) while RNA is necessary to (blank).
instructions for life and translate those instructions into proteins.
Nucleotides are composed of
a nitrogenous base, phosphate group, and 5-carbon sugar.
Examples of purines include
guanine (G) and adenine (A).
Examples of pyrimidines include
cytosine (C), uracil (U), and thymine (T).
How are nucleotides brought together to form nucleic acids?
through condensation/dehydration reactions. Forms phosphodiesters linkages between sugar and phosphate components of backbone.
Polymerization requires energy, where does it come from?
Energy comes from activated nucleotides. Nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) and deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs). Energy is released when phosphates are removed by hydrolysis.
Chargaff’s rules?
base composition of DNA varies between species. Amount of A=T and C=G.
Watson and Crick found
our current structure of DNA. A) only purine-pyrimidine pairs fit inside the double helix. B) hydrogen bonds form between G-C pairs and A-T pairs. C) in double stranded DNA, backbones must run in antiparallel directions.
RNA
Ribose (sugar) has an extra -OH compared to DNA. Unstable. Contains A, C, G, and U.
RNA is usually
single stranded. Often folds into 2 structures and can form 3 structures.
Various functions of RNA?
proteins synthesis, gene expression, catalyze reactions, and genetic material.
