Nucleic Acids Flashcards
What are nucleic acids?
Composed of nucleotide monomers
What are nucleotide made of?
phosphate group, 5-carbon sugar, nitrogen containing base
What are two types of DNA
DNA and RNA
Define DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
Genetic information of an organism
What does DNA contain
contains sugar deoxyribose
What are the 4 nitrogenous bases
Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C)
Define RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Assists in the decoding of DNA genetic information into proteins
What does RNA contain
sugar ribose
How is DNA and RNA different
- Double stranded vs single stranded
-Deoxyribose sugar vs ribose as a sugar - ATCG vs UCAG
Define how nucleotides are joined
phosphodiester bond between the phosphate group of one molecule and hydroxyl group on the sugar of the other nucleotide.
What are the nucleotides strand made up of?
alternating phosphodiester groups and sugars, with bases projecting to one side of the backbone
-becomes two strands twisted to form a double helix
What are the pairs of nucleotide bases called?
complementary pairs
What are the pairs of nucleotide bases
A&T, G&C (DNA’s), A&U (RNA)
What are the purimidine
C-U-T
What are purine
G-A
