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Biochemistry
Nucleic Acid
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Nucleic acid
macromolecule
made of
nucleotide
monomers
Two types of nucleic acids
RNA
(
ribonucleic
acid) and
DNA
(
deoxyribonucleic
acid)
What does DNA do?
stores
and
contains genetic information
of an organism
What is genetic information decoded into?
amino acid sequences
forming
proteins
How is DNA decoded?
with the help of
RNA
molecules
Nucleotide
monomer
of
RNA
and
DNA polymers
What are nucleotides made of?
phosphate group
,
sugar
with
5 carbon atoms
, and a
nitrogenous base
What are the sugars in DNA and RNA?
Ribose
(RNA) and
Deoxyribose
(DNA)
What is the difference between ribose and deoxyribose?
ribose
has a
hydroxyl
group bonded to its
2nd
carbon atom, but
deoxyribose
only has a
hydrogen
atom bonded to its
2nd
carbon atom
What are the 2 types of nitrogenous bases?
Pyrimidines
and
purines
Pyrimidines
cytosine
,
thymine
, and
uracil
(single ring)
Purines
Adenine
and
Guanine
(
2
rings)
What is a polymer of nucleotides called?
a strand
What is the covalent bond that holds nucleotides together?
Phosphodiester
bond
What occurs during a phosphodiester bond?
The
phosphate
group of one nucleotide bonds with the hydroxyl group of the next nucleotide in the
strand
, losing a water molecule
DNA
a
double-strand twisted
about each other to form a
double helix
What does DNA's backbone contain?
Phosphate
and a
sugar
How are
nitrogenous
base pairs held together?
through
hydrogen bonds
What are the complementary base pairs?
Adenine-Thymine
,
Cytosine-Guanine
(
A-T
,
G-C
)
Why is G-C pairing stronger than A-T pairing?
because
G-C
contains
3
hydrogen bonds, which means there are more forces holding it together, while A-T only contains
2
hydrogen bonds
Why do hydrogen bonds make bonds more stable?
because the
high electronegativity
atom
attracts
the
electrons
from the
hydrogen
atom, therefore, making the bond
stronger
and more
stable
RNA
only a
single
strand
What is not present in RNA?
Thymine
, it is replaced with
Uracil
(
U
)
What is the function of RNA?
to
decode DNA
and
carry messages
outside the
nucleus