EXAM #2 Flashcards
(287 cards)
what is the name of the molecule that hereditary information is transmitted from generation to generation?
DNA–deoxyribonucleic acid.
DNA is a linear ____ made up of ____ different subunits.
polymer, 4
a DNA strand consists of subunits called: _____
nucleotides. each strand of DNA consists of an enormous number of nucleotides linked on to the next.
Nucleotides consist of 3 components, what are the 3? how do they aid in maintaining the structure of DNA?
1) a 5-carbon sugar
2) one or more phosphate groups
(1&2 both form the backbone of the molecule, with each sugar being linked to the phosphate group of the neighboring nucleotide)
3) a base (gives each nucleotide its chemical identity)
a nucleotide normally consists of one of ___ types of bases. How are they denoted?
- A, G, T, and C is how the bases are denoted
two of the bases are double-ring structures known as _____. These are the bases A: _____ and G: _______.
purines.
A: adenine
G: guanine
the other two bases are single-ring structures known as _________. These are bases T: ______ and C: ______.
pyrimidines
T: thymine
C: cytosine
the combination of sugar and base is known as a ______.
nucleoside
a nucleoside that has one or more phosphate groups is termed a ______.
nucleotide.
a nucleotide with one phosphate group is called a ______ _________, with two phosphate groups is called a _____ ________, and with three phosphate groups it is called a ______ ___________.
nucleoside monophosphate.
nucleoside diphosphate.
nucleoside triphosphate.
DNA is composed of nucleotides that are linked by _______ bonds.
phosphodiester bonds. has a C-O-P-O-C linkage. in DNA, it is a stable bond that can withstand stress such as heat and larger changes in pH that would break apart weaker bonds.
the phosphodiester bonds in a DNA strand give it _____, which means that one end differs from the other.
polarity. because each end has polarity you must specify which end is which (3’ or 5’ end).
when a base sequence is stated without specifying which end is which (3’ or 5’), the end at the left side is always the ____ end.
5’
cellular DNA molecules have what type of form?
a double helix strand
what is true about the relative number of molecules found in each type of base (A, T, G, C)?
the number of molecules of the nucleotide base adenine (A) always equals the number of molecules of thymine (T). the number of molecules of guanine (G) always equals the number of molecules of cytosine (C).
within the double helix strand, the outside contours of the twisted strands form an uneven pair of grooves. what are the names of the two grooves?
the major groove and the minor groove. proteins that interact with DNA often recognize a particular sequence of bases by making contact with the bases by the major or minor groove or both.
the individual DNA strands in the double helix are _____, which means that they run in opposite directions.
antiparallel. at each end you will have a 3’ paired with a 5’.
because they form specific pairs, the bases A and T are said to be _____, as well as the bases G and C.
complementary
the paired strands forming a double stranded DNA helix must have (different or the same) base sequences?
different.
T or F: because of the A-T and G-C base pairing, knowing the base sequence of one strand tells you the base sequence of its partner sequence?
true
base stacking within a strand contributes to the ____ of the DNA double helix.
stability.
why does base stacking occur?
base stacking occurs because the nonpolar, flat surfaces of the bases tend to group together away from water molecules, and hence stack on top of one another as tightly as possible.
in a DNA structure, there is no restriction on the ____ of bases along the DNA.
sequence. for example, an A can be followed by a T, C, G or another A.
what does this lack of sequence constraint imply?
the genetic information carrying capacity of a single DNA molecule is unimaginable.