A1.2 Nucleic Acids Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are nucleotides?
Large molecules contained in the nucleus of cells
What are the 2 types of nucleotides?
- DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid
- RNA - Ribonucleic acid
What do nucleotides contain?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous
What does the structure of a nucleotide look like?
1 phosphate group
Pentose sugar
Nitrogenous base (pyrimidine OR purine)
What is the difference between the pentose sugars for deoxyribose and ribose?
Deoxyribose has hydrogen (H)
Ribose has hydroxide (OH)
What are the nitrogenous bases in RNA?
Adenine (A)
Uracil (U)
Guanine (G)
Cytosine (C)
What are the nitrogenous bases in DNA?
Adenine (A)
Thymine (T)
Guanine (G)
Cytosine (C)
What is a condensation reaction?
The joining of smaller molecules to form larger molecules (water is removed)
What is a phosphodiester bond?
When the pentose sugar of 1 nucleotide forms a covalent bond with the phosphate group on the next nucleotide
What is a sugar phosphate backbone?
The structural framework of DNA and RNA molecules
What is the structure of RNA?
- Single stranded
- Condensation reactions
- Water is released
What is the structure of DNA?
- Double stranded
- Formed by a large number of nucleotides
- Each strand has a phosphate sugar backbone
- Held together by complementary base pairing
- 2 strands are anti parallel
What is the complementary base pairing in DNA?
Adenine pairs to thymine (2 hydrogen bonds)
Guanine pairs to cytosine (3 hydrogen bonds)
What is the complementary base pairing in RNA?
Adenine pairs to Uracil (2 hydrogen bonds)
Guanine pairs to cytosine (3 hydrogen bonds)
What is the evidence of universal common ancestry?
The conservation of the genetic code across all life forms
