Nucleic acid biochemistry

Question 1

What is a nitrogenous base?

Answer 1

Nitrogenous bases are organic molecules that contain nitrogen and are the fundamental units of nucleic acids.
They are responsible for encoding genetic information in the sequence of nucleic acids.

Question 2

What are the 5 types of nitrogenous base?

Answer 2

adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T) (found only in DNA), and uracil (U) (found only in RNA).

Question 3

What is a nucleoside?

Answer 3

Nucleosides are composed of a nitrogenous base bonded to a sugar molecule. The sugar molecule is typically either ribose (in RNA) or deoxyribose (in DNA).

Question 4

Do nucleoside contain phosphate groups?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

What are examples of nucleoside?

Answer 5

adenosine, guanosine, cytidine, thymidine, and uridine.

Question 6

What is a nucleotide?

Answer 6

Nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar molecule, and one or more phosphate groups.

Question 7

Where is the phosphate group attached in a nucleotide?

Answer 7

The phosphate group(s) is attached to the sugar molecule, typically at the 5’ carbon position.

Question 8

What do nucleotide form?

Answer 8

Nucleotides are the monomeric units that make up nucleic acids. They are linked together through phosphodiester bonds to form DNA and RNA strands.

Question 9

What is important about a nucleotide?

Answer 9

Nucleotides play a crucial role in cellular processes such as DNA replication, transcription, and translation, as well as in energy metabolism (e.g., ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is a nucleotide that serves as a universal energy currency in cells).

Question 10

What are the differences between the 3?

Answer 10

nitrogenous bases are the individual organic molecules that encode genetic information.

nucleosides are composed of a nitrogenous base and a sugar molecule.

nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar molecule, and one or more phosphate groups.

Question 11

How do DNA and RNA nucleotide polymers differ?

Answer 11

DNA and RNA nucleotide polymers differ in their sugar molecules, nitrogenous bases, structure, and function.
DNA is double-stranded with deoxyribose and thymine, while RNA is usually single-stranded with ribose and uracil.

Question 12

What is the structure of a DNA?

Answer 12

DNA forms a double-stranded helical structure known as a double helix, where two DNA strands are held together by hydrogen bonding between their nitrogenous bases.

Question 13

What are the 4 nitrogenous bases found in DNA?

Answer 13

adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).

Question 14

How is the DNA paired?

Answer 14

Adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine through complementary base pairing, forming the characteristic ladder-like structure of DNA.

Question 15

What is the structure of RNA?

Answer 15

RNA is usually single-stranded, although it can form secondary structures through base pairing interactions

Question 16

What nitrogenous bases are found within RNA?

Answer 16

RNA contains the same nitrogenous bases as DNA, except that thymine (T) is replaced by uracil (U). Adenine pairs with uracil in RNA through complementary base pairing.

Question 17

What is the function of DNA?

Answer 17

DNA is the genetic material that carries the hereditary information in cells, encoding the instructions for the development, functioning, and reproduction of all living organisms.

It serves as a stable, long-term storage of genetic information.

Question 18

What is the function of RNA?

Answer 18

RNA plays various roles in gene expression, including transcription, where it serves as a template for synthesizing proteins (mRNA), and translation, where it helps in the synthesis of proteins by ribosomes.

Question 19

What are the other functions of RNA?

Answer 19

Catalyzing chemical reactions (ribozymes), regulating gene expression (microRNAs), and providing structural support (e.g., rRNA in ribosomes).

Question 20

What is more stable DNA or RNA?

Answer 20

DNA

Question 21

Why is DNA is more stable than RNA?

Answer 21

DNA is generally more stable than RNA due to the absence of a hydroxyl group at the 2’ carbon position in deoxyribose, less enzymatic activity targeting DNA, the stable double helix structure of DNA, and its sequestration within the nucleus or nucleoid region of cells.
However, the stability of DNA and RNA can also be influenced by other factors, such as the presence of modifications, sequence context, and cellular conditions, which may vary in different biological contexts.