Nucleic Acids & Flow of Genetic Info

Question 1

what is the purpose of nucleic acids

Answer 1

-store and transmit hereditary info in genes (unit of inheritance)
-program amino acid sequence of polypeptide (proteins)

Question 2

what is the structure of nucleic acids

Answer 2

made of nucleotides (monomers)

Question 3

what are the two types of nucleic acids

Answer 3

deoxyribonucleic acid (dna)
ribonucleic acid (rna)

Question 4

what does the dna do

Answer 4

-stores information for protein synthesis
-acts as a blueprint to make the proteins
-a gene is a segment of DNA that encodes a protein

Question 5

what does the rna do

Answer 5

-directs protein synthesis
-acts as messenger to relay information from dna

Question 6

what replaces thymine iin RNA

Answer 6

uracil

Question 7

what is the structure of nucleic acids

Answer 7

a phosphate molecule
a 5 carbon sugar
a nitrogenous base
-consists of monnomers called nucleotides that link to form polynucleotides

Question 8

what sugars do dna and rna have

Answer 8

dna has deoxyribose
rna has ribose

Question 9

what kind of formation do the dna strands have

Answer 9

antiparallel formation
3 prime to 5 prime
-Rna is opposite

Question 10

is dna double or single stranded

Answer 10

double, rna is single

Question 11

what are the three types of rna involved in protein synthesis

Answer 11

mRNA (messanger)
tRNA (transfer)
rRNA (ribosomes)

Question 12

what are the functions of histones

Answer 12

-allows the dna to fit 2m into 10 nanometers of space
-control gene activation and deactivation

Question 13

why is dna necessary

Answer 13

-needed for cell replication
-contains genes
-genes influence cells for which proteins to make
-complementary base pairing

Question 14

what do gene have to do with proteins

Answer 14

genes have the information needed to make the specific protein and the primary sequence of the protein

Question 15

what are the two major steps in protein synthesis

Answer 15

transcription (in nucleus)
translation (in cytosol)

Question 16

what is protein structure

Answer 16

control the placement of amino acids to have a specific function

Question 17

what are the steps of transcription

Answer 17

-separation of dna at a particular gene
-synthesis of mRNA (using uracil)
-mRNA is sent to cytosol

Question 18

Synthesis of an rna molecule that is…

Answer 18

complementary to the dna (following the base pair rule)

Question 19

what is the start codon of transcription

Answer 19

AUG

Question 20

do the start/stop codon code for amino acids

Answer 20

no, only the start codon, UAA?

Question 21

what is the non-template or coding strand

Answer 21

the other dna strand that is not being copied

Question 22

what is the description of mRNA

Answer 22

-single stranded
-synthesized in nucleus with the help of enzymes and dna
-contains the inforamtion from one gene
-organized in 3 groups of nucleotides called codons
-each codon indicates a given amino acid

Question 23

what are codons

Answer 23

group of three nucleotides that code for one amino acid

Question 24

what is translation

Answer 24

the assembly of the protein’s primary structure according to the codon sequence on the mRNA

Question 25

what do codons do

Answer 25

condons on mRNA provide the sequence that amino acids must be arranged

Question 26

mRNA has the info...

Answer 26

but doesnt do the work

Question 27

why do amino acids have nothing to do with the base pair rules

Answer 27

not nucleic acids

Question 28

what does the tRNA do

Answer 28

decode the codons of mRNA

Question 29

how does the tRNA work

Answer 29

it has anti codons that complementary bind to the mRNA codons while creating an amino acid chain

Question 30

how many possible codons are there

Answer 30

64 (1 start, 3 stop and 61 amino acids)

Question 31

how many anticodons are there

Answer 31

31 (many codons code for the same amino acid)

Question 32

what does the rRNA do

Answer 32

links mRNA and tRNA

Question 33

true of false: each tRNA can attach to only one kind of amino acid

Answer 33

true

Question 34

what is the structure of rRNA

Answer 34

3 tRNA binding sites: 1. A site (aminoacyl-tRNA) 2. P site (peptidyl-tRNA) 3. E site (exit site)

Question 35

what is the purpose of ribosomes

Answer 35

-large rna and protein complex -links mRNA and tRNA to make other proteins -continues until entire length of mRNA has been read

Question 36

what is the process of translation

Answer 36

tRNA attaches to the start codon at the P site the next tRNA attaches to the A site the ribosome moves along the mRNA which makes the tRNA leave through the exit site this builds the amino acid chain until the stop codon is reached then released in cytoplasm

Question 37

when the stop codon is reached what happens

Answer 37

a release factor binds to the A site which causes a water molecule to be added to hydrolysis the chain this releases the polypeptide