DNA - Information and Storage

Question 1

What is DNA and when does it form?

Answer 1

• DNA is a long-chain polymer of nucleotide monomers – Polynucleotides. DNA forms when two polynucleotides come together. Bases project to form rungs, sugar/phosphate form backbone.

Question 2

How DNA strands run?

Answer 2

DNA strands run anti-parallel to each other - sugars point oppositely.

Question 3

Where are the pyrimidines and the purines?

Answer 3

• A pyrimidine is on one side, and a purine is on the other. Hydrogen bonds form between bases. Base-pairing applies; because they’re complementary to each other.

Question 4

How is a DNA molecule copied?

Answer 4

 Double helix untwisted.
 Hydrogen bonds, between bases, broken to unzip DNA – exposing bases.
 Free DNA nucleotides Hydrogen-bonded onto base.
 Covalent bonds formed between the phosphate of the nucleotide/ and sugar of the next.

Question 5

What is semi-conservative replication?

Answer 5

Semi-conservative replication – Consists of one DNA molecule, one conserved strand, and one newly built strand.

Question 6

How is DNA adapted to its function?

Answer 6

• DNA is; Sequence of bases is information storage, long so large amount of material stored, base-pairing means complementary strands can be replicated, stability, Hydrogen bonds allows easy unzipping.