Nucleic Acids

Question 1

Define Nucleic Acid:

Answer 1

Have the instructions to make offspring from parents

• The instructions or codes are organized in units called genes
• Each gene code for a particular polypeptide or protein

Question 2

Purines are a type of Nucleic Acid Base, Name them:

Answer 2

1. Adenine (DNA/RNA)

2. Guanine (DNA/RNA)

Question 3

Pyrimidines are a type of Nucleic Acid Base, Name them:

Answer 3

1. Cytosine (DNA/RNA)
2. Thymine (DNA)
3. Uracil (RNA)

Question 4

DNA and RNA structure:

Answer 4

DNA-double stranded base pairing lead to helical structure
T (double bond) A
C (triple bond) G

RNA- single stranded
Base pairing leads to stem loop secondary structure
A (single bond) U
C (double bond) G

Question 5

Major and Minor grooves:

Answer 5

The major and minor grooves of DNA are places where we design chemical drugs to bind. That will prevent the DNA from unwinding and replicating, which we don’t want in cancer cells

Question 6

Basic nucleotide unit:

Answer 6

5’ Phosphate head connected to Ribose sugar and base

Question 7

What is the function of Nucleic acids?

Answer 7

1. Information storage and transfer: DNA & RNA code for the traits that make you and I unique
2. Energy transfers (ATP) Adenosine triphosphate (nucleotide)
3. Cofactor in enzymes (necessary to catalyze reactions) (GTP Guanosine tri phosphate, required in many enzymes to work GTP-GDP)

Question 8

What is Central Dogma?

Answer 8

process of molecular biology that transfers genetic information from DNA to RNA and produces a functional protein product
-explains the transformation of genetic information called DNA replication, RNA coding by transcription and encoding for protein through translation

Question 9

Give a few applications of Nucleic Acids:

Answer 9

1. Amplify DNA using PCR (polymerase chain reaction)
   - DNA thermal polymerase from heat loving bacteria
   - PCR uses heating and enzymes to copy DNA
   - We need this to detect any genetic disease
2. Molecular cloning using restriction enzymes
   - double stranded DNA amplified from PCR containing gene i.e insulin
   - restriction enzymes cut DNA @ specific sequences
   - DNA with sticky ends will stick to expression vector using ligase
   - Expression vector with inserted gene
3. Sequencing with DNA polymerase and dye terminator nucleotides
   - sequencing is a method to determine your entire DNA sequence

Question 10

Why do we need to amplify (make copies of) DNA?

Answer 10

• Detecting/ analyzing very small amounts of DNA still not possible with current technology, so we need to “copy” into bigger amounts
• current method of detecting covid-19 infection from nasal swabs DNA is very little to other DNA sources