Chapter 4: Nucleic Acids Flashcards
What’s the purpose of nucleic acids?
To carry genetic information
What are the 2 types of nucleic acid?
DNA, RNA
DNA stands for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid
RNA stands for?
Ribonucleic acid
DNA and RNA are polymers of many?
Nucleotides
What is a nucleotide comprised of?
Phosphate group, 5-carbon sugar, and nitrogenous base
What are the 5 n-bases?
Cytosine, Thymine, Uracil, Guanine, Adenine
Which n-bases are pyrimidines?
C,T,U
Why are C,T,U considered pyrimidines?
Because they only have a single 6-atom ring
Which n-bases are purines?
A,G
Why are A,G considered purines?
Because they have a double-ring structure comprised of one 6-atom and one 5-atom ring
Nucleotides bond together into?
Strands
Strands have?
A sugar-phosphate backbone with n-bases sticking out’
A gene is?
The part of the strand that carries instructions to assemble a polypeptide chain (usually a protein)
DNA stores?
Genetic info
DNA is passed on when?
Cells divide
DNA is usually a part of structures called?
Chromosomes
DNA contains?
Deoxyribose sugar
DNA has which 4 n-bases?
A,G,C,T
Each DNA molecule contains?
2 nucleotide strands
The 2 strands are twisted into a?
Double helix
How are n-bases held together?
By H-bonds
How are A and T (U and A for RNA) bonded?
Doubly bonded
How are C and G bonded?
Triply bonded
The base sequence on one strand predicts the sequence on the?
Complementary strand
RNA has?
Ribose sugar
Which n-base doesn’t exist for RNA?
Thymine
Which n-base exists for RNA but not DNA?
Uracil
What is the purpose of mRNA?
Carries info from DNA to ribosomes
What occurs in the ribosomes?
Polypeptide chains are assembled
What is the purpose of tRNA?
Delivering aa’s to ribosomes
What are the 3 functions of ATP?
Movement, ‘Pumping’ molecules across membranes, E-requiring actions
ATP ties together which reactions?
E-producing and E-requiring reactions
