3.13 Amino acids, proteins and DNA

• Amino acids have an amino group which is NH2 and a carboxyl group which is COOH.
• Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.
• Amino acids are amphoteric, having both basic and acidic properties.
• The bases in DNA start to interact with opposing bases on the either side, forming hydrogen bonds.
• The bases that come off the top of the sugar phosphate backbone are the ones that change within a DNA molecule.
• DNA is formed from two polynucleotide strands that are twisted together to form a double helix.
• Adenine bonds with thymine, which is represented by the number 18.
• The sugar in a polynucleotide chain is a pentose sugar and the base is represented by a rectangle.
• The phosphate on one of the nucleotides is covalently bonded with the sugar one another, creating a sugar phosphate backbone.
• The bases in DNA are represented by different colors, and the lines represent the nucleotide strands and the sugar phosphate backbone.
• Hospitals use a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to shrink tumors to a more manageable size and make surgery more feasible.
• Cisplatin binds on a molecular level to DNA, preventing healthy cells from reproducing and causing side effects such as hair loss, weight loss, and vomiting.
• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also be used in combination with surgery to remove tumors.
• Despite the short-term side effects of chemotherapy, it is still used as a treatment due to the long-term benefits of potentially eliminating cancer completely.
• DNA replicates by unzipping itself, forming another strand of RNA, and then rezipping itself to form a new DNA.
• The effects of chemotherapy can be reduced by giving lower doses and using a more targeted delivery of the drug to reduce the attack on healthy cells.
• Chemotherapy, which includes drugs like cisplatin, is used to treat cancer, despite its harmful side effects, as it can potentially eliminate the cancer completely.
• The bases in DNA are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.
• The nitrogen circles on the bases in DNA indicate where the base bonds with the deoxyribose molecule.
• Using the three components of a nucleotide, four nucleotides can be formed: adenine nucleotide, cytosine nucleotide, thymine nucleotide, and guanine nucleotide.
• A pentose sugar, such as ribose or deoxyribose, is an example of a sugar.
• A nucleotide is made up of three components: a phosphate, a sugar, and a base.
• Computer modeling is used by scientists to design new drugs that act as inhibitors to fit stereo-specific active sites.
• DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a polymer made up of monomers called nucleotides.
• A phosphate group consists of phosphorus in the middle with two hydroxy groups and no minus on the end.
• Enzymes play an important role in medicine.
• Amino acids have an organic side chain, represented by the R value, which is different for each amino acid, except for glycine where R is a hydrogen.
• The stationary phase in TLC is a silica or alumina plate mounted onto a glass or metal plate, with a pencil line drawn on it for the placement of amino acid mixtures.
• If the pH is lower than the isoelectric point, a full carboxylic acid is formed.
• If the pH is higher than the isoelectric point, the hydrogen from the NH3 group drops off and NH2 is formed, but the negative charge on the carboxyl group remains.
• The amino acids spots dissolve in the solvent in TLC, with some amino acids spending more time on the chromatogram due to their lower solubility.
• The solvent front in TLC is marked after time, as the solvent will migrate up and stop near the top of the line.
• The positions on the chromatogram are used to identify the amino acids in TLC.
• The solvent level in TLC must be below the pencil line, as amino acids will dissolve in the solvent if the solvent level is above the pencil line.
• Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is a form of chromatography that allows the separation and identification of amino acids due to their different solubilities.
• To react with the -OH on the carboxyl group, an acid is needed.
• Amino acids, except for glycine, are all chiral and chiral molecules, with four different groups surrounding the central carbon line.
• Amino acids rotate plane polarized light.
• The chloride ions in the complex are easy to displace and can detach themselves from the complex, allowing the platinum to bind to the nitrogen atoms and the guanine base within the cancer cells DNA.
• Cancer cells multiply by replicating their DNA.