relationship between nucleic acids and proteins

• Nucleic acids are biomacromolecules that serve as information molecules that encode instructions for the synthesis of proteins.
• The structure of DNA, the three main forms of RNA (mRNA, rRNA and tRNA), and a comparison of their respective nucleotides are key elements in understanding the relationship between nucleic acids and proteins.
• Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides, which consist of a pentose (5 carbon) sugar, a nitrogen-containing base, and one or more phosphate groups.
• The sugar in nucleotides can be ribose or deoxyribose.
• The base in nucleotides can be guanine (G), cytosine (C), adenine (A), uracil (U), or thymine (T).
• Thymine can be bound to nucleotides with an oxygen attached to the second carbon.
• A phosphate group is attached to the fifth carbon in the pentose sugar of a nucleotide.
• RNA molecules are double-stranded polymers of nucleotides.
• Guanine can’t be attached to ribose sugars.
• All RNA molecules carry amino acids around the cell.
• Guanine may be attached to the third carbon in a deoxyribose sugar.
• In DNA, thymine pairs with adenine instead of uracil.
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules are single-stranded nucleic acids.
• The pairing between A & T is weaker than that between C & G in DNA molecules.
• DNA molecules are built in a 5’ to 3’ direction by RNA polymerase.
• RNA molecules are built from nucleotides by RNA polymerase.
• RNA molecules are built in a 3’ to 5’ direction.
• Pentose sugars include D-adenine, D-thymine, D-uracil, D-cytosine, and D-guanine.
• Nucleotides contain D-adenine, D-thymine, D-uracil, D-cytosine, and D-guanine.
• DNA is composed of two strands, which run in the same direction, parallel to each other.
• RNA is a polymer of RNA nucleotides, each containing a ribose sugar, a phosphate group at the 5’ end and one of four nitrogen-containing bases (G, C, A or U) covalently bonded to the first carbon.
• RNA is built by an enzyme called RNA polymerase.
• RNA polymerase runs along the strand in a 5’ - 3’ direction, adding new nucleotides to the 3’ end.
• RNA polymerisation is a condensation polymerisation reaction, but a diphosphate molecule is produced, rather than water.
• There are many types of RNA, but three types are most important: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA).
• The DNA molecule naturally spirals, making a complete right-handed twist for every 10.5 base pairs.
• DNA is composed of two strands which run antiparallel to each other, held together by hydrogen bonds between their nitrogenous bases, according to the base pairing rules: A pairs with T, C pairs with G.
• Deoxynucleotide is a nucleotide containing a deoxyribose sugar.
• Ribosomal RNA comprises 60% of the structure of ribosomes, with the other 40% being protein.
• DNA polymers form in much the same way as RNA polymers, except that the enzyme involved is DNA polymerase, and the nucleotides are deoxynucleotides.
• A and T form two hydrogen bonds, while C and G form three hydrogen bonds, making C-G pairs more stable than A-T pairs.
• DNA is not found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, but is contained within membrane-bound organelles: the nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplasts.
• Transfer RNA carries amino acids from the cell cytoplasm to the ribosome, and pairs with the complementary code carried by the mRNA.
• Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries a copy of the genetic code from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome.
• Nucleic acids are built by polymerase enzymes, in a 5’ to 3’ direction.
• DNA strands run antiparallel to each other.
• DNA forms a double helix with 10.5 base pairs per complete twist.
• RNA contains uracil whereas DNA contains thymine.
• There are three main types of RNA: mRNA, tRNA and rRNA.
• Nucleic acids, including DNA and RNAs, are polymers of nucleotides.