DNA Structure Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 3 components of nucleic acids?

A
  • Base Pair
  • Phosphodiester/Phosphate Group
  • (Deoxy)ribose/sugar
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2
Q

What is DNA?

A

DNA is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other

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3
Q

What are the two forms of nucelobases?

A
  1. Pyrimidine
  2. Purine
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4
Q

What are the 5 base pairs?

A
  1. Cytosine
  2. Thymine
  3. Uracil
  4. Adenine
  5. Guanine
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5
Q

What are the base pairs that are based from pyrimidine?

A
  1. Cytosine
  2. Thymine
  3. Uracil
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6
Q

What are the base pairs that are based from purine?

A
  1. Adenine
  2. Guanine
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7
Q

How many hydrogen bonds are between adenine and thymine?

A

2 - DA/AD

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8
Q

How many hydrogen bonds are between guanine and cytosine?

A

3 - ADD/DAA

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9
Q

How is deoxyribose produced?

A

It is generated from ribose 5-phosphate by enzymes called ribonucleotide reductases which catalyse the deoxygenation process

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10
Q

What is the main link between two nucleotides?

A

Phosphodiester link 5’ to 3’

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11
Q

What are the base pairs called?

A

Nucleobases

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12
Q

What is a base and a sugar called?

A

Nucleoside

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13
Q

What is a base, sugar and phosphate called?

A

Nucleotide

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14
Q

What are the 5 nucleosides called?

A
  1. Adenosine
  2. Cytidine
  3. Guanosine
  4. Thymidine
  5. Uridine
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15
Q

What are teh 5 nucleotides called?

A
  1. Adenosine 5’-phosphate
  2. Cytidine 5’-phosphate
  3. Guanosine 5’-phosphate
  4. Thymidine 5’-phosphate
  5. Uridine 5’-phosphate
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16
Q

What is the anti-parallel duplex?

A

One side of the DNA strand going from 5’-3’ down and the other side 5’-3’ up

17
Q

What is the primary structure of DNA?

A

The sequence of nucleotides

18
Q

How is the duplex formed?

A

Strand of complementary sequence (complementary bases in opposite order)

19
Q

How do you find the complementary sequence?

A
  1. Split the strand into three-base units for clarity
  2. Write down the complementary bases
  3. Reverse order to give strand in 5’ to 3’ format
20
Q

What are the main features of a DNA strand?

Lengths/heights and grooves

A
  • 1 turn = 33 Å
  • Width = 20 Å
  • 10.5 nucleotides per turn
  • Major groove and minor groove
  • 3.3 Å base stacking distance
  • Right handed
21
Q

Why is DNA in a double helix?

A
  • Negatively charged phosphates repel each other - when they are separated there is a reduced electrostatic repulsion
  • Stacking of nucleobases through hydrophobic / Van der Waals interactions compacts duplex vertically - removal of water (water would disrupt the hydrogen bonding), hydrophobic collapse, pi-stacking
22
Q

What are the alternate forms of the double helix?

A
  • B-DNA: right handed
  • A-DNA: right handed
  • Z-DNA: left handed
23
Q

What is the main form of the double helix?

A

B-DNA

24
Q

Where are B-DNA ususally found?

A

Found in cells under physiological conditions

25
Q

Where does A-DNA usually occur?

A

Under dehydrated conditions or in a hybrid DNA-RNA

26
Q

How is Z-DNA formed?

A

After DNA has undergone methylation - common in some diseases (Alzheimers)

27
Q

What is triplex DNA?

A

3 strand binded together with the 3rd strand binded in the major groove

28
Q

What is quadruplex DNA?

A
  • 4 strands of DNA around a metal ion
  • Found in telomeres (end of chromosomes)
  • Protects DNA ends and stop DNA repair systems from treating them as damaged
  • Allows coping of ends which wouldn’t be possible with 3’ end
29
Q

What are some examples of tertiary structures of DNA?

A
  • Hairpin (small loop)
  • Stem-loop (large loop)
  • Holliday junction
30
Q

What are the differences between DNA and RNA structures?

A

DNA:
* 2-Deoxyribose
* Thymine
* Usually double stranded
* Stores genetic information
* Located in the nucleus
RNA
* Ribose
* Uracil
* Usually single stranded
* Protein synethesis and gene regulation
* Located in the cytoplasm

31
Q

Why is ribose more easily hydrolysed than 2-deoxyribose?

A

Further possible H-bonding patterns from an extra OH, phosphodiester more easily hydrolysed

32
Q

What is a nucelosome?

A
  • DNA colled around proteins
33
Q

How are chromosomes produced?

A

DNA is coiled around proteins called histones to produce nucleosomes, whihc are futher packed to produce chromosome

34
Q

How is nanotechnology used with DNA?

A

Predictable sequence-specific hybridisation can be used to create 3D nanostructures for a wide variety of nanotechnological applications

35
Q

What are the functions of DNA?

A
  1. DNA directs the machinery of a cell to make specific proteins
  2. Stores the hereditary information of an indivdual
  3. Has the ability to mutate - allows for new characteristics (evolution)