Nucleic Acids: DNA, RNA, & ATP Overview

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to nucleic acids, including DNA, RNA, and ATP, their structures, functions, and roles as genetic material and energy currency.

Nucleic Acids

The genetic material of living things, primarily DNA and RNA, which carry hereditary information.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

The genetic material found in all living organisms and some viruses, serving as the universal code of all life.

Genetic Code

The universal system of instructions that directs the development and functioning of all known forms of life, evidence for common ancestry.

Viruses

Entities that straddle the boundary between living and non-living; they use either DNA or RNA as genetic material and must infect host cells to replicate.

Zoonotic Diseases

Diseases where viruses jump from animals to humans, facilitated by the universality of the genetic code.

Watson and Crick

Scientists who, in 1953, described the double helix structure of DNA, based on experimental data from other researchers.

Rosalind Franklin and Morris Wilkins

Researchers whose X-ray diffraction images of DNA were crucial in understanding the molecule's double helix structure.

DNA Double Helix

The structure of DNA composed of two individual DNA strands twisted together, resembling a twisted ladder, allowing efficient packaging.

Polymer

A large molecule made up of smaller, repeating subunits.

Nucleotide

The smaller subunits that make up nucleic acid polymers, each composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group.

Deoxyribose

The five-carbon sugar found in DNA nucleotides, which lacks a hydroxyl group on its second carbon.

DNA Directionality (5' to 3')

The specific orientation of a DNA strand, defined by the numbering of carbons in the deoxyribose sugar, with genetic information read in the 5' to 3' direction.

Antiparallel

Describes the two strands of a DNA double helix, which are parallel to each other but run in opposite directions.

Complementary Base Pairing

The specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in DNA (Adenine with Thymine, Cytosine with Guanine) through hydrogen bonds, crucial for genetic information transmission.

Sugar-Phosphate Backbone

A strong, covalently bonded structure in nucleic acids, formed by the alternating dehydration-linked sugar and phosphate groups, providing structural integrity.

Condensation Reaction

A chemical reaction that forms a covalent bond between nucleotides to create the sugar-phosphate backbone, with the release of a water molecule.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

A single-stranded polymer made up of RNA nucleotide subunits, involved in various cellular functions, including protein synthesis and ribosomal structure.

Ribose

The five-carbon sugar found in RNA nucleotides, which contains a hydroxyl group on its second carbon.

Uracil

A nitrogenous base unique to RNA, where it replaces thymine and pairs with adenine.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

A molecule composed of adenine, a ribose sugar, and three phosphate groups, serving as the primary energy currency for cellular processes.

Phosphorylation

The process by which ATP donates a phosphate group to another molecule, typically providing energy for cellular activities such as active transport.