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Nucleic Acids Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 2 types of nucleic acid

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid
Ribonucleic acid

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2
Q

are nucleic acids monomers

A

no theyre polymers

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3
Q

what monomers make up nucleic acids

A

nucleuotides

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4
Q

what do nucleic acids do

A

they store, transmit and help express genetic or heredity information in the cell

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5
Q

what does DNA do

A

holds genetic information

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6
Q

what does RNA do

A

transports genetic information from DNA to ribosomes

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7
Q

what are ribosomes formed from

A

rRNA (ribosomer RNA) and proteins

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8
Q

what is the structure of a nucleotide

A

phosphate group, pentose (sugar) and a nitrogenous base

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9
Q

what is the name of the pentose in DNA and RNA

A

Deoxyribose in DNA
Ribose in DNA

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10
Q

which carbons on the pentos are the phosphate group and nitrogenous base bonded

A

nitrogenous base - 1’C
phosphate group - 5’C

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11
Q

what is the only difference between RNA and DNA

A

DNA lacks an oxygen atom on carbon 2 on the pentose, whilst ribose has a hydroxyl group on carbon 2

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12
Q

what are the 2 types of nitrogenous bases (not the names)

A

purines
pyrimidines

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13
Q

describe pyrimidines, and which bases are they

A
  • 6 membered single ring
  • 3 hydrogen bonds form
    C, T, U
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14
Q

describe purines and which bases are they

A
  • larger than pyrimidines
  • have a six membered ring joined to a 5 membered ring (double ring)
    A, G
  • form 2 hydrogen bonds
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15
Q

what are the full names of the five bases

A

Adenine
Guanine
Cytosine
Thymine
Uracil

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16
Q

what bond forms in nucleic acids

A

phosphodiester bonds

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17
Q

what is the name for 2 nucleotides bonded together? many?

A

2 - Dinucleotide
many - Polynucleotide

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18
Q

where do phosphodiester bonds form to produce nucleic acids

A

OH group on carbon 3 of one nucelotide and the phosphate groups OH on carbon 5 of another nucleotide

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19
Q

what catalyses the condensation reaction that forms phosphodiester bonds

A

DNA polymerase

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20
Q

what are the two ends of the 2 polyneucltods that form DNA called

A

5 prime end where the phosphate group is
3 prime end where the OH is

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21
Q

what is the word to describe the orientation of the two strands of the double helix

A

antiparallel

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22
Q

what bonds form between the complementary bases in DNA

A

hydrogen

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23
Q

how many hydrogen bonds does the A-T base pairing form

A

2

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24
Q

how many hydrogen bonds does the C-G base pairing form

A

3

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25
how many nucleotide chains does RNA have
one
26
what are the 3 types of RNA
mRNA - Messanger RNA rRNA - Ribosomal RNA tRNA - Transfer RNA
27
what does mRNA do
carries genetic information for making a protein from DNA to ribosomes
28
what does rRNA do
its an important part of the structure of ribosomes and has catalytic functions needed for protein synthesis
29
what does tRNA do
it bonds with its specific amino acid type and carries it to the ribosome during protein synthesis
30
which is longer, DNA or RNA
DNA
31
what is the name for the process in which DNA replicates
Semi conservative replication
32
what are the 2 enzymes needed for semi conservative replication
DNA helicase DNA polymerase
33
what are the 4 conditions needed for semi conservative replication
- a pool of all 4 nucleotides must be present - both strands of the DNA need to be copied to act as a template - the enymes DNA helicase and DNA polymerase must be present - a source of ATP must be present
34
what does DNA helicase do
breaks the hydrogen bonds between the complementary nitrogenous bases (it unwinds the DNA)
35
what happens after DNA helicase unwinds the double helix
free nucleotides start to be attracted to their complementary bases on the templates
36
in what orientation is the new strand created in relation to the template
in the antiparallel direction (if the template is 5' -> 3', the new strand will be 3' -> 5').
37
where does DNA polymerase work from, what does this mean for the direction of new strands
it binds to 3' because its specific, so the new strand will always start from there (creating a 5' end) and work towards the templates 5'.
38
what bonds does DNA polymerase form
phosphidester bonds between the nucleotides phosphates and deoxyribose sugars
39
are the new DNA strands identical to the template strands in semi conservative replication
yes
40
what equiptment is used to prove semi conservative replication, why is it used
ultracentrifuge its so sensetive that it can seperate molecules that contain different nitrogen isotopes (N15 and N14)
41
what collects at the bottom of the ultracentrifuge during semi conservative replication
N15, the heavier molecules
42
what are the 3 theorised methods of DNA replication
Semi conservative Conservative Dispersive
43
describe the conservative DNA replication method
suggests parental DNA would remain intact and a seperate new DNA molecule would be made from scratch
44
describe the semi conservative DNA replication method
suggests the parental molecule would seperate into 2 seperate strands that would act as a template for the formation of a new strand to be filled with free nucleotides
45
describe the dispersive DNA replication method
the newly synthesis DNA strand would consist of a mix of parental and daughter strands
46
what experiment was carried out to determine if DNA replicated via conservative / semi conservative
they grew bacteria on a medium made of N15, which would causse it to have heavier DNA due to semi conservative replication
47
describe the distibution of DNA bands for bacteria grown on N15, that is then moved to N14 for three replications
originally 100% N15 rep 1 - 100% N15/N14 rep 2 - 50% N15, 50% N14 rep 3 - 25% N15, 75% N14
48
what does ATP stand for
Adenosine Triphosphate
49
what type of molecule is ATP
a nucelotide derivative
50
describe the structure of ATP
Ribose, adenine, 3 phosphate groups Adenine bonds to C5 Phosphates bond to C1
51
what hydrolises ATP
ATP hydrolase
52
what is produced from ATP + H2O with ATP hydrolase present
ADP - adenosine diphosphate Pi - inorganic phosphate group
53
what does the inorganic phosphate produced during ATP hydrolysis do
phosphorylates other compounds, making them more reactive
54
what condenses ADP and Pi to ATP and H2O
ATP synthase
55
what type of reaction is the hydrolysis of ATP
exergonic - releases energy
56
describe the ATP cycle
- the hydrolysis of ATP releases energy, so it supplies energy requiring reactions like active transport - the condensation of ADP + Pi requires energy, which it gets from energy releasing reactions like photosynthesis
57
why is ATP important (2)
Movement for functions such as the movement of chromosomes during cell division - It supplies energy for active transport which is important for transporting some molecules and ions across the cell membrane
58
what type of molecule is water
polar due to unequal charge distribution
59
what causes water to have its properties
the attractions between oppositely charged atoms of different water molecules, which form hydrogen bonds
60
what are the 6 properties of water and why are they important
- a metabolite for reactions such as condensation and hydrolysis reactions - a solvent where metabolic reactions occur - has a high heat capacity which buffers temperature changes and allows organisms to maintain a stable body temp - has a large latent heat of vaporisation, which provides a cooling effect with little loss of water through evaporation - strong cohesions between water molecules so it can support columns of water in plants - strong cohesions between water molecules so produces surface tension, so it can support small organisms
61
where are inorganic ions found
as solutions in the cytoplasm and body fluids of organisms
62
what are the 4 inorganic ions
iron phosphate hydrogen sodium
63
what is the role of iron ions in living organisms (2)
- found in the haemoglobin molecule in red blood cells - this haemoglobin binds with oxygen
64
what is the role of phosphate ions in living organisms (5)
- affects osmosis - found in nucleuotides - used to produce ATP - phosphorylates other compounds to make them more reactive - hydrophylic
65
what is the role of hydrogen ions in living organisms
determines the pH of cells and tissues so they're suitable for cell functions
66
what is the role of sodium ions in living organisms (3)
- co transports glucose as sodium is moved out by active transport - creates a sodium concentration - affects osmosis
67
what is the equation for pH
-log10[H+]

Biology (8 decks)

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