Nucleic acids and DNA Flashcards
What are the two types of nucleic acid?
- DNA and RNA
- Deoxyribonucleic acid and Ribonucleic acid
What is the function of DNA?
-Carries genetic code and is capable of self replication allowing genetic info to be passed from generation to generation
What is the function of RNA?
Assist the functioning of DNA
What are the sun-units of nucleic acids?
-Nucleotides
What does each nucleotide consist of?
- A pentose sugar
- A nitrogenous base
- A phosphate group
What are two examples of pentode sugars?
-Deoxyribose and ribose
What are 5 examples of Nitrogenous bases?
- Adenine
- Guanine
- Cytosine
- Thymine (in DNA only)
- Uracil (in RNA only)
What is the phosphate group attached to in Nucleotide?
- Attached to the carbon-5 of the sugar
What reaction joins nucleotides together?
-Condensation reactions
What bond do nucleotides form when they join together?
-Phosphodiester bonds
Where are phosphodiester bonds formed?
-Between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the carbon 3 of the pentose of other nucleotide ( Along sugar phosphate back bone)
What free ends does the polynucleotide strand form?
-Free 5’end and free 3’end
What does a DNA molecule consist of?
Two anti-parallel strands
What bonds join opposite bases together?
Hydrogen bonds
What is base pairing?
- When two bases join together
- A and T
- C and G
What is the sugar-phosphate backbone held together by?
-Covalent bonds
Why does DNA form a double helix?
As nucleotides join at slightly different angles to each other
What is the function of hydrogen bonding between two strands?
Increases its stability
What 3 points describe the structure of DNA?
- Very long
- Double stranded
- A and T, C and G
What 3 points describe the structure of RNA?
- Relatively short
- Single stranded
- No base pairing
How many forms of RNA are there?
3