Nucleic acids and proteins Flashcards
What are the two types of nucleic acids?
DNA and RNA
What is DNA?
A polymer of nucleotides that contain hereditary information.
Nucleotide contains: sugar, phosphate and N-containing base.
What is the function of DNA?
Controls all metabolic processes in cell through polypeptide chains in which DNA dictates production.
What is ribonucleic acid?
RNA is a polymer of nucleotides but is an unpaired chain. Contains Uracil not thymine.
What are the different types of RNA?
- messenger RNA: mRNA
- ribosomal RNA: rRNA
- transfer RNA: tRNA
What is mRNA?
RNA that carries genetic message to ribosome where message is translated into a particular protein.
What is rRNA?
RNA responsible for reading the order of amino acids and linking amino acids together.
What is tRNA?
RNA that carry amino acids to ribosomes where they are used to construct proteins.
What is a template strand?
One of the strands of a gene in which acts as a template for mRNA. This way the RNA makes a copy of the opposite bases from that stand so that is has the info of the non template strand.
What is gene sequencing?
When the order of nucleotides in a gene are identified. The process involves identifying order of nucleotides.
How do genes differ?
Each species has a different sequence of nucleotides in their genes.
What is coded information?
Sequence of nucleotides in template strand of DNA.
What is decoded information?
Order of amino acids in polypeptides.
What are the functions of proteins?
- structural proteins: connective tissue
- contractile proteins: muscle
- enzymes: regulate reactions
- proteins of the immune system
- hormonal proteins
What are the features of a genetic code?
- code is non overlapping
- pieces of info consist of triplets
- redundant: > 1 triplet for 1 amino acid
- encoded info in dna is instructions to assemble polypeptide
- info in DNA template strand includes start and stop instructions
