DNA and RNA structures Flashcards
Molecules of DNA and RNA are what?
Polymers of nucleotides
What is a nucleotide?
It is a biological molecule which is made from three different components
What are the three components for a nucleotide?
A pentose sugar, a nitrogen and a phosphate
What are polynucleotides made from?
How do the nucleotides join together?
They are made from multiple nucleotides joining together.
Via a condensation reaction between the phosphate group and the sugar
What is DNA’s structure?
What are the strands made from?
Double helix structure
Made from polynucleotides
What are the strands of DNA like?
Why is this?
Really long and are coiled up very tightly
So that a lot of genetic information can be stored into the small space in the cell nucleus
What are the four types of bases for a DNA molecule?
Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine
What are RNA molecules made from?
Nucleotides like DNA
What is an RNA’s structure like?
Single stranded and the strand is shorter than DNA.
What replaces the Thymine base in RNA?
Uracil
