Nucleic Acids & Flow of Genetic Info Flashcards
what is the purpose of nucleic acids
-store and transmit hereditary info in genes (unit of inheritance)
-program amino acid sequence of polypeptide (proteins)
what is the structure of nucleic acids
made of nucleotides (monomers)
what are the two types of nucleic acids
deoxyribonucleic acid (dna)
ribonucleic acid (rna)
what does the dna do
-stores information for protein synthesis
-acts as a blueprint to make the proteins
-a gene is a segment of DNA that encodes a protein
what does the rna do
-directs protein synthesis
-acts as messenger to relay information from dna
what replaces thymine iin RNA
uracil
what is the structure of nucleic acids
a phosphate molecule
a 5 carbon sugar
a nitrogenous base
-consists of monnomers called nucleotides that link to form polynucleotides
what sugars do dna and rna have
dna has deoxyribose
rna has ribose
what kind of formation do the dna strands have
antiparallel formation
3 prime to 5 prime
-Rna is opposite
is dna double or single stranded
double, rna is single
what are the three types of rna involved in protein synthesis
mRNA (messanger)
tRNA (transfer)
rRNA (ribosomes)
what are the functions of histones
-allows the dna to fit 2m into 10 nanometers of space
-control gene activation and deactivation
why is dna necessary
-needed for cell replication
-contains genes
-genes influence cells for which proteins to make
-complementary base pairing
what do gene have to do with proteins
genes have the information needed to make the specific protein and the primary sequence of the protein
what are the two major steps in protein synthesis
transcription (in nucleus)
translation (in cytosol)
what is protein structure
control the placement of amino acids to have a specific function
what are the steps of transcription
-separation of dna at a particular gene
-synthesis of mRNA (using uracil)
-mRNA is sent to cytosol
Synthesis of an rna molecule that is…
complementary to the dna (following the base pair rule)
what is the start codon of transcription
AUG
do the start/stop codon code for amino acids
no, only the start codon, UAA?
what is the non-template or coding strand
the other dna strand that is not being copied
what is the description of mRNA
-single stranded
-synthesized in nucleus with the help of enzymes and dna
-contains the inforamtion from one gene
-organized in 3 groups of nucleotides called codons
-each codon indicates a given amino acid
what are codons
group of three nucleotides that code for one amino acid
what is translation
the assembly of the protein’s primary structure according to the codon sequence on the mRNA
what do codons do
condons on mRNA provide the sequence that amino acids must be arranged
mRNA has the info…
but doesnt do the work
why do amino acids have nothing to do with the base pair rules
not nucleic acids
what does the tRNA do
decode the codons of mRNA
how does the tRNA work
it has anti codons that complementary bind to the mRNA codons while creating an amino acid chain
how many possible codons are there
64 (1 start, 3 stop and 61 amino acids)
how many anticodons are there
31 (many codons code for the same amino acid)
what does the rRNA do
links mRNA and tRNA
true of false: each tRNA can attach to only one kind of amino acid
true
what is the structure of rRNA
3 tRNA binding sites:
1. A site (aminoacyl-tRNA)
2. P site (peptidyl-tRNA)
3. E site (exit site)
what is the purpose of ribosomes
-large rna and protein complex
-links mRNA and tRNA to make other proteins
-continues until entire length of mRNA has been read
what is the process of translation
tRNA attaches to the start codon at the P site
the next tRNA attaches to the A site
the ribosome moves along the mRNA which makes the tRNA leave through the exit site
this builds the amino acid chain until the stop codon is reached
then released in cytoplasm
when the stop codon is reached what happens
a release factor binds to the A site which causes a water molecule to be added to hydrolysis the chain
this releases the polypeptide
