Structure Of Rna And Dna

Question 1

what are the nucleic acids?

Answer 1

• Ribonucleic acid

- deoxyribonucleic acid which carries genetic information

Question 2

what are the components of nucleotides?

Answer 2

• pentose sugar
• phosphate group
• nitrogen-containing organic base

Question 3

how is a nucleotide formed?

Answer 3

-the pentose sugar, phosphate group and organic base join due to condensation reaction forming a single nucleotide called a mononucleotide

Question 4

how is a dinucleotide formed?

Answer 4

-two mononucleotides are joined through a condensation reaction between the deoxyribose sugar of one mononucleotide and the phosphate group of another which forms a phosphodiester bond

Question 5

How are polynucleotides formed?

Answer 5

-the continued linking of mononucleotides forming a long chain

Question 6

what is the structure RNA?

Answer 6

• RNA is a single relatively short polynucleotide chain in which the pentose sugar is always ribose
• one type of RNA transfers genetic information from DNA to the ribosomes
• ribosomes are made up of proteins and rRNA in the cytoplasm
• a third type of RNA is involved in protein synthesis

Question 7

who discovered the structure of DNA?

Answer 7

-Watson and Crick discovered the structure thanks to pioneering work by rosalind Franklin on the x-Ray diffraction patterns of DNA

Question 8

what is the structure of DNA?

Answer 8

• DNA is the pentose sugar is DNA
• DNA is made up of two strands of nucleotides
• each strand of DNA is joined by hydrogen bonds
• phosphate and DNA molecules alternate to form the uprights and the base pairs form rungs

Question 9

what do the base pairings do?

Answer 9

• the bases on both DNA strands are linked by hydrogen bonds which hold the strands together
• the quantities of base pairings are always the same where as the ratios change

Question 10

what are the base pairings?

Answer 10

• adenine pairs with thymine or uracil

- guanine pairs cytosine

Question 11

what is the double helix?

Answer 11

• the double helix has a ladder like structure with the two polynucleotide chains being twisted
• the uprights of phosphate and deoxyribose wind around one another to form a double helix forming the structural backbone of the DNA molecule

Question 12

why is DNA a stable molecule?

Answer 12

• the phosphodiester backbone protects the more chemically reactive organic bases inside the double helix
• hydrogen bonds link the organic base pairs forming bridges between the phosphodiester uprights
• since there are three hydrogen bonds between cystine and guanine the higher the proportion of these pairings the more stable the DNA molecule

Question 13

What other than bonds helps hold molecules together?

Answer 13

-interactive forces between the base pairs like base stacking holds the molecule together

Question 14

What is the function of DNA?

Answer 14

• it’s the hereditary material responsible for passing genetic information from cell to cell and generation to generation
• since there is a vast majority of base pairs means that there is an Anniston infinite variety of sequences of bases along the length of a DNA molecule such variety provides genetic diversity with organisms

Question 15

what determines the functions of DNA?

Answer 15

• it’s a stable structure which normally passes from generation to generation without change
• it’s separate strands are joined with hydrogen bonds allowing them to separate during DNA replication and protein synthesis
• it’s an extremely large molecule which carries an immerse amount of genetic information
• having the base pairs within the helical cylinder of the deoxyribose phosphate backbone and the genetic information is protected from being corrupted by outside chemical and physical forces
• base pairings leads to DNA being able to replicate and transfer information by mRNA