Nucleic Acids CH 3.1 Flashcards
Nucleic Acids
Polymers
Storage, transmission, and use of genetic info
DNA/RNA
What encodes metabolic function?
DNA and the proteins encoded by DNA
Nucleotides
Building blocks of Nucleic Acids
3 Components of Nucleotides
- Nitrogen containing Base
- Pentose Sugar
- 1-3 Phosphate Groups
Nucleoside
Pentose sugar, Nitrogen Base, No Phosphate Group
Nucleotides that make up Nucleic Acids…
Contain 1 phosphate group
Pyrimadines
Cytosine Uracil Thymine "CUT PIE" aka CUT PY 6 membered single ring structure
Purines
Adenine
Guanine
5 membered double ring structure (fused)
DNA
Pentose sugar is deoxyribose A/T/C/G Double Stranded Can replicate itself Purely info Molecule
RNA
Pentose sugar is ribose
A/U/C/G
Single Stranded
Nucleic Acid Formation
New nucleotides are added to existing chain one at a time
Attach at pentose sugar and phosphate functional groups through condensation reactions. Form phophodiester linkage
Phophodiester linkage
Will always occur between the phosphate on the new nucleotide (5’) and the carbon @ the 3’ position on the last sugar
Grow in 5’ –> 3’
Oligonucleotides
RNA molecules that are primers (begin duplication of DNA)
RNA molecules that regulate the expression of genes
Synthetic DNA molecules used for amplifying and analyzing other, longer nucleotides
Polynucleotides
DNA and most RNA
Very long, longest polymers in living world
Base Pairs for DNA
A-T
C-G
Held together by H-bonds
