Nucleic acids and DNA Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the two types of nucleic acid?

A
  • DNA and RNA

- Deoxyribonucleic acid and Ribonucleic acid

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2
Q

What is the function of DNA?

A

-Carries genetic code and is capable of self replication allowing genetic info to be passed from generation to generation

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3
Q

What is the function of RNA?

A

Assist the functioning of DNA

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4
Q

What are the sun-units of nucleic acids?

A

-Nucleotides

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5
Q

What does each nucleotide consist of?

A
  • A pentose sugar
  • A nitrogenous base
  • A phosphate group
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6
Q

What are two examples of pentode sugars?

A

-Deoxyribose and ribose

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7
Q

What are 5 examples of Nitrogenous bases?

A
  • Adenine
  • Guanine
  • Cytosine
  • Thymine (in DNA only)
  • Uracil (in RNA only)
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8
Q

What is the phosphate group attached to in Nucleotide?

A
  • Attached to the carbon-5 of the sugar
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9
Q

What reaction joins nucleotides together?

A

-Condensation reactions

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10
Q

What bond do nucleotides form when they join together?

A

-Phosphodiester bonds

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11
Q

Where are phosphodiester bonds formed?

A

-Between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the carbon 3 of the pentose of other nucleotide ( Along sugar phosphate back bone)

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12
Q

What free ends does the polynucleotide strand form?

A

-Free 5’end and free 3’end

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13
Q

What does a DNA molecule consist of?

A

Two anti-parallel strands

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14
Q

What bonds join opposite bases together?

A

Hydrogen bonds

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15
Q

What is base pairing?

A
  • When two bases join together
  • A and T
  • C and G
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16
Q

What is the sugar-phosphate backbone held together by?

A

-Covalent bonds

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17
Q

Why does DNA form a double helix?

A

As nucleotides join at slightly different angles to each other

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18
Q

What is the function of hydrogen bonding between two strands?

A

Increases its stability

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19
Q

What 3 points describe the structure of DNA?

A
  • Very long
  • Double stranded
  • A and T, C and G
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20
Q

What 3 points describe the structure of RNA?

A
  • Relatively short
  • Single stranded
  • No base pairing
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21
Q

How many forms of RNA are there?

A

3

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22
Q

What are the 3 types of RNA?

A
  • Messenger RNA
  • Transfer RNA
  • Ribosomal RNA
23
Q

What is the double helix linked and held together by?

A

bases

24
Q

How many hydrogens bond guanine and cytosine?

A

3

25
Q

How many hydrogen bonds link thymine and adenine?

A

2

26
Q

What do the types of RNA have crucial roles in?

A

Protein synthesis

27
Q

What is the function of the messenger RNA?

A

-Carries the code for the DNA in the nucleus to a ribosome in the cytoplasm where protein synthesis occurs

28
Q

Where does protein synthesis occur?

A

in a ribosome in the cytoplasm

29
Q

What is the function of Transfer RNA?

A
  • Carries the amino acids the the ribosome.

- It is a single chain folded into 🍀 shape

30
Q

What is the function of Ribosomal RNA?

A

-Made in the nucleolus and forms over half the mass of each ribosome

31
Q

How does DNA regulate the development of living organisms?

A

through the control of protein synthesis. e.g regulation of enzymes

32
Q

What does the sequence of DNA bases determine?

A

-The amino acid sequence of polypeptides

33
Q

What is a gene?

A

-A sequence of DNA that codes for a polypeptide

34
Q

What is a base triplet?

A

Each sequence of 3 bases, it codes for 1 amino acid

35
Q

What DNA strand functions as the genetic code?

A

-The coding (template) strand

36
Q

How should DNA be copied from one generation to the next?

A

-Exactly

37
Q

How is the copy of DNA from generation to generation achieved?

A

By self-replication

38
Q

What is a semi-conservative mechanism?

A

In which each strand acts as a template for the synthesis of a new strand

39
Q

What does each new DNA molecule contain?

A

One of the original strands in addition to a new strand

40
Q

What are the 4 stages of DNA replication?

A
  • Enzyme DNA Helicase breaks H2 bonds holding bases together and unzips part of the DNA double helix, revealing 2 strands
  • Enzyme, DNA polymerase moves along each strand, acts as a template for the synthesis of new strand
  • Polymerase catalysés the joining free deoxyribonucleotides to each of the exposed og strands so new complementary strands form
  • Process of unzipping and joining continues along whole length of DNA
41
Q

Who devised the evidence for semi-conservative replication?

A

-Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl 1958

42
Q

What did Meselson and Stahl do to find that DNA replicates semi-conservatively?

A

-Grew bacteria in a medium in which nitrogen was supplied in the form of heavy, non-radioactive isotope 15N, the DNA became very heavy

43
Q

Explain the results of 0, 1st and 2nd generation of The experiment…

A
  • All heavy =0generation
  • All intermediate (hybrid) =1st
  • 50% hybrid, 50% light =2nd
44
Q

What is DNA replication?

A

The process that replicates the DNA molecule

45
Q

What takes place after DNA replication takes place?

A

-The chromosomes duplicate the processes of mitosis and meiosis

46
Q

What is semi-conservative replication?

A

-Means each of the new DNA molecules contains one original (template) strand and one new DNA strand

47
Q

What are purine bases?

A

Adenine and guanine

48
Q

What are pyrimidine bases?

A

Cytosine, thymine and Uracil

49
Q

What does anti parallel mean?

A
  • 2 strands are running in opposite directions
50
Q

What does Enzyme DNA helicase do?

A

-un zips the two strands of DNA by breaking hydrogen bonds between bases

51
Q

What does the breaking of hydrogen bonds between bases allow?

A

Allows each of the original strands to become a template for the formation of two DNA molecules

52
Q

What is the function of Enzyme DNA polymerase?

A

-Joins the nucleotides of each strand together

53
Q

What is density-gradient configuration used for?

A

-To separate the bacterial DNA following sampling.

DNA containing Lighter accumulated at top and heavy formed zone near bottom