ExamBlock4 Flashcards
Nucleic acids
Class of biomolecules found in all living organisms, stores genetic information and protein synthesis
Nucleic acids are made up of
monomers called nucleotides
Nucleotides are made up of
5 carbon sugar, Phosphate group, and a nitrogenous bases
Nitrogenous bases
A,C,T,G
Nucleotides are linked together by
dehydration synthesis, or polymerization reactions between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate group of another nucleotide (Sugar-phosphate backbone formed)
What bonds are between C/G and A/T?
Hydrogen bonds
RNA
Single stranded, does not typically form helix, has uracil instead of thymine
DNA function
Stores information needed to construct a protein
RNA function
Regulates expression of information during protein synthesis
ATP composed of
Nitrogenous base adenine, 3 phosphate groups, and sugar ribose (just like RNA)
Each time a cell divides, it must
replicate its DNA
Semiconservative replication
Each newly formed molecule of DNA has one strand conserved from the parent molecule and one newly synthesize strand
Replication begins at
numerous origins of replication
Enzymes invovled in the process of DNA Replication
Helicases, primases, DNA Polymerase
Helicase
Unwinds the DNA double helix
Primate
Initiate replication (Places RNA primer along each strand
DNA Polymerase
Adds nucleotides to the unwound parent molecule
DNA strands have ______ polarities while replication
opposite
DNA has
2 antiparallel strands
Leading strand of DNA
Nucleotides added in a smooth continuous process
Lagging strand of DNA
Discontinuous mode of replication because DNA polymerase can only work by starting from the replication form and progressing outward (DNA Polymerase can only be added to an existing 3’ nucleotide)
Primase has the ability to synthesize a short
primer made of a few nucleotides of RNA
Okazaki fragments
Short stretches of DNA in the lagging strand
Ligase
Seals the Okazaki fragments into a continuous strand of DNA
Mismatch repair
Occurs when DNA polymerase and other proofreading enzymes remove incorrectly paired nucleotides
Mutation
Permanent change in an organism’s DNA
If a mutation occurs in a reproductive cell, the mutation
can be passed to future generations
Excision repair
Involves the removal of damaged nucleotides from a DNA molecule
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Laboratory technique to amplify the DNA
Proteins are made up of long chains
of amino acids
Primary protein structure
Order of amino acids in a polypeptide chain
Secondary protein structure
Pleated sheet or helix that approaching chains can form due to bonding between the r groups of amino acids
Tertiary structure
Overall shape of a protein formed when the secondary structure folds in on itself
Quaternary structure
Interactions between multiple proteins (large protein complex)
Central dogma of molecular biology
DNA is transcribed into messenger RNA, and messenger RNA is translated into proteins. In other words, DNA codes for the synthesis of proteins
Transcription
Occurs in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells
Two strands of DNA separate, or open up sufficiently enough so that RNA can be produced
RNA Polymerase
Separates the DNA strands in transcription and joins the RNA nucleotides along the exposed DNA template strand
Promoter
Starting point of transcription: sequence of DNA bases that signals the beginning of RNA synthesis
RNA Polymerase II
Adds nucleotides to the 3’ end of the elongating RNA molecule
Terminator sequence
Signals the end of RNA synthesis