RNA - little bits and bobs Flashcards
What is a nucleic acid? What are they made of? What are the components of their monomers? How do you know if it’s DNA or RNA?
Overarching term for RNA or DNA. (They are made of nucleotides which are the monomers, the nucleotides are made up of a 5 carbon sugar, nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. If the sugar is a ribose sugar then it’s RNA and if it’s a deoxyribose sugar then it’s DNA)
Diagrams of ribose and deoxyribose sugars.
See camera roll (ribose has OH, 2-deoxyribose has H, aka one less oxygen on its second carbon)
What are ribosomes made of? ????????
RNA and Proteins
What does a free nucleotide often have?
More than one phosphate group attached as a chain to the 5th carbon of its pentose sugar.
What are two characteristics of RNA?
Short
Single chain
Briefly, what happens with the mRNA in a cell?
mRNA is made from the DNA during transcription
It carries the genetic code of DNA to the ribosomes (outside the nucleus) where translation occurs and a protein is made
Function of tRNA?
It carries the amino acids used to make proteins to the ribosomes
Shape of tRNA?
Cloverrrrr
What enzyme is nicknamed ‘tRNA ligase’ and what does it do?
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase attaches the appropriate amino acid to its tRNA
Fact about the shape of tRNA?
It has a tiny fourth ‘arm’/loop which is called the variable arm
What does tRNA have on the loop opposite the amino acid binding site?
Anticodon (see camera roll) - it contains three bases which are complimentary to the codon for the amino acid that it carries.
What is in between the base pairs on each arm of the tRNA?
Hydrogen bonds!!
Which organelles have their own DNA and what is it like?
Mitochondria Chloroplasts -circular -not associated with histone proteins -shorter
What is an intron?
A segment of DNA or RNA which does not code for a protein and interrupts the sequence of genes.
What is an exon?
A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule which contains information coding for a protein or peptide sequence.
