DNA Flashcards
what does DNA stand for
deoxyribonucleic acid
what does RNA stand for
ribonucleic acid
what are dna and rna
nucleic acids
what are nucleic acids
genetic information carrying molecules
in all living cells what does DNA do and RNA
dna holds the genetic information and rna transfers the genetic information from dna to ribosomes
are dna and rna polymers
yes
what is the monomer in dna and rna
nucleotides which consists of
a pentose (five carbon sugar)
a nitrogen containing organic base
a phosphate group (phosphoric acid)
who discovered dna
watson and crick
what is the structure of dna
it consists of 2 polynucleotide strands joined together by hydrogen bonding to form a double helix
what’s in a DNA nucleotide
a pentose sugar of DEOXYRIBOSE
a phosphate group
one of 4 nitrogen containing bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine
how are the nucleotides in dna joined by
phosphodiester bonds formed in condensation reaction
the sugar and phosphate group from the backbone of the polynucleotide strands and the bases are oriented towards the centre to protect them from reacting with chemicals. the base are attracted via complemtary base pairing
are hydrogen bonds weak in dna molecule
the bases are joined by hydrogen bonds which although are individually weak due to their large number collectively maintain a stable structure .
the dna helix is further coiled to form a super helix providing a COMPACT store of genetic information
in dna what direction are the strands
anti parallel
