Nucleic Acids Overview

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to nucleic acids, specifically focusing on DNA and RNA, their structures, components, and functions.

Nucleic Acids

Biological macromolecules composed of nucleotide monomers.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

A type of nucleic acid that contains deoxyribose and typically has millions of nucleotides.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

A type of nucleic acid that contains ribose and typically has thousands of nucleotides.

Nucleotide

The basic building block of nucleic acids, composed of a nitrogen base, a sugar, and a phosphate group.

Nitrogenous Base

The part of a nucleotide that contains nitrogen and has properties of a base.

Five-carbon Sugar

A sugar in nucleotides, either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA.

Phosphate Group

A chemical group consisting of phosphorus and oxygen, found in nucleotides.

Purines

Nitrogenous bases with a double-ring structure, including adenine (A) and guanine (G).

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases with a single-ring structure, including cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).

Cytosine (C)

A pyrimidine base found in both DNA and RNA.

Thymine (T)

A pyrimidine base found only in DNA.

Uracil (U)

A pyrimidine base found only in RNA.

Adenine (A)

A purine base found in both DNA and RNA.

Guanine (G)

A purine base found in both DNA and RNA.

Ribose

The five-carbon sugar found in RNA nucleotides.

Deoxyribose

The five-carbon sugar found in DNA nucleotides, lacking an oxygen atom at the C2' position.

Nucleoside

A molecule composed of a nitrogenous base and a sugar.

β-N-glycosidic bond

The bond that links the nitrogen base to the C1' of sugar in nucleosides.

AMP (Adenosine Monophosphate)

A nucleoside phosphate with one phosphate group attached.

ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate)

A nucleotide formed by adding a second phosphate group to AMP.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

A nucleotide with three phosphate groups, important for energy transfer.

Phosphodiester Bond

The bond between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the sugar of another.

3'-OH Group

The hydroxyl group at the 3' end of a sugar in nucleotides.

5'-Phosphate Group

The phosphate group at the 5' end of a sugar in nucleotides.

Primary Structure of Nucleic Acids

The unique sequence of nucleotides in a nucleic acid molecule.

Genetic Information

The information carried by the sequence of bases in nucleic acids.

Base Sequence

The specific order of nucleotide bases in a DNA or RNA molecule.

3',5' Phosphodiester Linkage

The linkage connecting adjacent nucleotides in a nucleic acid chain.

Free 5' Phosphate

The unbound phosphate group at the 5' end of a nucleic acid.

Free 3' Hydroxyl

The unbound hydroxyl group at the 3' end of a nucleic acid.

Heterocyclic Amines

Compounds that are part of the structure of nitrogen bases, including purines and pyrimidines.

Ribose vs. Deoxyribose

Ribose contains an oxygen on C2' while deoxyribose does not.

A C G T

The sequence of bases in DNA representing adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.

A C G U

The sequence of bases in RNA representing adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil.

Polymers of Nucleotides

Nucleic acids are long chains made from repeating units of nucleotides.

Unbranched Polymers

Nucleic acids formed by a continuous linear chain of nucleotides.

Synthesis of Nucleotides

Formation involves attaching a phosphate group to a nucleoside.

Genetic Code

The sequence of nucleotide bases that determines the genetic instructions.

5' to 3' Direction

The orientation in which nucleic acids are synthesized and read.

Complementary Base Pairing

The specific pairing of bases (A-T and G-C in DNA; A-U and G-C in RNA).

Nucleotide Composition

Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, sugar, and phosphate.

Phosphate Function

Phosphates contribute to the structure of nucleotides and link nucleotides together.

Hydroxyl Group

A functional group (-OH) that gives nucleotides certain chemical properties.

Importance of Nucleotides

Nucleotides are not only building blocks of DNA and RNA but also serve as energy carriers.

Nucleic Acid Structure

The structure of nucleic acids is critical for their function in genetic information storage.

Linkage Between Nucleotides

Nucleotides are linked together through phosphodiester bonds to form the nucleic acid chain.

RNA Structure

RNA strands are single-stranded with a specific sequence of ribonucleotides.

DNA Structure

DNA is double-stranded forming a double helix with complementary base pairing.