Nucleic acids

What are nucleic acids?

Nucleic acids are biomolecules essential for all forms of life, primarily DNA and RNA.

What is the structure of DNA?

DNA is a double helix made of two strands of nucleotides, which include a phosphate group, a sugar, and nitrogenous bases.

What are the four nitrogenous bases in DNA?

The four bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G).

What base pairs with adenine in DNA?

Thymine (T) pairs with adenine (A) in the DNA structure.

What is RNA?

RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a single-stranded nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis and gene expression.

What are the types of RNA?

The three main types of RNA are messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA).

What is the role of mRNA?

mRNA carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.

What is the function of tRNA?

tRNA transports specific amino acids to the ribosome during protein synthesis.

What is the function of rRNA?

rRNA forms the core of ribosome structure and catalyzes protein synthesis.

What is a nucleotide?

A nucleotide is the basic unit of nucleic acids, consisting of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group.

How do DNA and RNA differ in sugar molecules?

DNA contains deoxyribose, while RNA contains ribose.

What is the role of DNA polymerase?

DNA polymerase is an enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to a growing chain during DNA replication.

Define complementary base pairing.

Complementary base pairing is the specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in DNA or RNA, where A pairs with T (or U in RNA) and C pairs with G.

What is the significance of the double helix structure?

The double helix structure of DNA provides stability and allows for accurate replication and transcription.

What is the central dogma of molecular biology?

The central dogma describes the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein.