2B- Nucleic-Acids & Nucleotides

• Within the five-carbon sugar, each carbon is assigned a number in a clockwise direction, with the first carbon being labelled 1' (One prime) and the last carbon being labelled 5' (five prime)
• The phosphate group on the 3' end of one nucleotide joins to the hydroxyl group on the 5' end of another nucleotide via ester bonds
• Nucleic acids are polymers made up of monomers called nucleotides.
• DNA has a double helix structure where the two strands wind around each other like a spiral staircase
• 1' Which attaches to the nitrogenous base
• 3' Which attaches to the phosphate of the following nucleotide.
• 5' which attaches the five-carbon sugar to the phosphate group of the nucleotide.
• When many nucleotides bond together they form a polynucleotide chain.
• The bonds joining nucleotides are strong covalent bonds known as phosphodiester-bonds
• The linkage of sugars and phosphate groups is commonly referred to as the sugar phosphate backbone of nucleic acids
• Nucleic acids are found on every living organism on earth. They are larger polymers composed of monomers called nucleotides.
• Nucleic acids store genetic information that is used to produce proteins required for survival.
• There are two types of Nucleic acids.
• The two types of Nucleic acids are

  DNA & RNA
• RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)- A type of nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis, transcription and translation
• DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) - The molecule responsible for storing hereditary information, which is passed from one generation to another.
• A nucleotide consists of three components; a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
• DNA is Double stranded, and RNA is single stranded
• DNA contains a pentose Deoxyribose sugar, a Phosphate group and a nitrogenous base.
• RNA contains a pentose ribose sugar, a Phosphate group and a nitrogenous base.