DNA Structure Flashcards
Parallel vs. Antiparallel. Which is DNA?
The DNA is anti-parallel because the the strands from a helix which is not parallel. Two parallel strands is obviously parallel.
What does the structure of the sugar look like?
A monosaccharide sugar kind of looks like one hexagon shaped base (glucose) and one pentagon shaped base (fructose). The hexagon base contains one CH2OH compounds, two OH compounds, one HO compound, and one Oxygen molecule whereas the pentagon shaped base base contains two CH2OH compounds, one HO compound, one OH compound, and one Oxygen molecule; these bases are connected with an oxygen molecule
What does the structure of a phosphate look like?
Phosphates structure consists of two oxygen molecules, one with a double bond, and two hydroxide molecules.
What is meant by the term 5’ (pronounced 5 prime) and 3’ in DNA? (In other words, what are they? Why do they matter?)
The 5 prime and 3 prime terms in DNA indicate the carbon numbers in the DNAs sugar backbone. The 5’ carbon has a phosphate group attached to it and the 3’ carbon a hydroxyl group. This asymmetry gives DNA strands direction.
What does it mean to say that DNA is complementary? What are the base-pairing rules?
When a DNA is complementary, it means that the molecule has two completing strands that make up a double-helix of DNA, with corresponding positions on the two chains being composed of a pair of complementary bases.
