DNA And RNA Alevel Book Flashcards
What is DNA used for
To store genetic information - that’s all the instructions an organisms needs to grow and develop from a fertilised egg into a fully grown adult
What is RNA used for
One of its main functions is to transfer genetic information from the DNA to the ribosomes
What is a nucleotide made from
A pentose sugar
A nitrogen - containing organic base
A phosphate group
What is the pentose sugar in a DNA nucleotide called
Deoxyribose
What does each DNA nucleotide share the same of
The same sugar and a phosphate group
What are all the possible bases of a DNA nucleotide
Adenine.
Thymine
Cytosine
And guanine
What is the pentose sugar in an RNA nucleotide called
A ribose sugar
What doe an RNA nucleotide contain
A pentose sugar called ribose
A phosphate group
One of four different bases
What are the four possible bases in an RNA nucleotide
Adenine,guanine,uracil, cytosine
What is a polynucleotide
A polymer of nucleotides
How do nucleotides join together to form polynucleotides
The nucleotides join up via a condensation reaction between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the sugar of another
This forms a phosphodiester bond
What does a phosphodiester bond consist of
The phosphate group and two ester bonds
What is the chain of sugars and phosphates known as
The sugar phosphate backbone
How to two DNA polynucleotide strands join together
Hydrogen bonding between the bases
What is complementary base pairing
When each base can only join with one particular partner
