Nucleic Acids

Nucleic Acids are a type of

macromolecules

Cytosine (C)

A nitrogenous base that pairs with guanine (G) in both DNA and RNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

The molecule that stores and transmits genetic information in living organisms.

Deoxyribose

The five-carbon sugar found in DNA nucleotides

DNA Nucleotide

the basic unit of DNA, made of a deoxyribose sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base.

Double Helix

The twisted ladder shape of a DNA molecule

Gene

A segment of DNA that contains instructions for making a protein or functional RNA molecule.

Guanine (G)

A nitrogenous base that pairs with cytosine (C).

Hydrogen Bonding

Weak chemical bonds that hold complementary DNA base pairs together

Karyotype

A picture of all the chromosomes in a cell arranged in homologous pairs

Nitrogenous Base

The nitrogen-containing part of a nucleotide. Examples include A, T, C, G, and U for RNA

Nucleotide

The basic building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base

Phosphate Group

The component of a nucleotide that links sugars together to form the backbone of DNA and RNA

Polynucleotide

A long chain of many nucleotides joined together

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

A nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis and gene regulation

Ribose

The five-carbon sugar found in RNA nucleotides.

RNA Nucleotide

The basic unit of RNA, made of ribose sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base

Sugar-Phosphate Backbone

The repeating pattern of sugars and phosphates that forms the sides of a DNA or RNA strand

Thymine (T)

A nitrogenous base found only in DNA that pairs with adenine (A)

Transcription

The process of copying genetic information from DNA into RNA

Uracil (U)

A nitrogenous base found only in RNA that pairs with adenine (A)

Kerry Mullis

The scientist who developed the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique in 1983

Taq DNA Polymerase

A heat-resistant enzyme used in PCR to synthesize new DNA strands.

Magnesium

A required cofactor that helps Taq polymerase function properly during PCR.

Primer

A short piece of DNA that binds to a target sequence and provides a starting point for DNA replication

Denaturation

The first step of PCR in which DNA is heated to separate its two strands

Annealing

The second step of PCR in which primers bind to complementary sequences on the DNA template.

Extension

The third step of PCR in which Taq polymerase adds nucleotides to create new DNA strand

PCR Cycle Memory trick

D-A-E

Adenine (A)

A nitrogenous base found in DNA and RNA. It pairs with thymine (T) in DNA and uracil (U) in RNA.

DNA contains 2 nucleotide strands each composed of

4 kinds of nucelotide

nucleic acids job

store info, provide instructions, for creating proteins

What are 2 types of nucleotides

DNA and RNA

Genetic materials is

DNA

what functions in protein synthesis

RNA

Instead of deoxyribose for carbon sugar, RNA has

ribose

Nucleotides

monomers of nucleic acids

gene

unit of inheritance

gene is encoded in

encoded in DNA

Gene programs

amino acid sequence of polypeptide

nucleotides are made up of

5 carbon sugar, phosphate group (PO4-), nitrogen base

Nucleotides of DNA

deoxyribose sugar, phosphate group, nitrogenous bases (A,C,G,T)

Nucleotides for RNA

Ribose sugar, phosphate group, nitrogenous bases (A,C,G,U)

What is DNA

genetic materials that all humans, all other organisms inherit

The process of DNA → RNA → Proteins enable

the transmission of heredity info

Phosphate group

PO4- (negatively charged)

Polynucleotide

dehydration reactions link nucleotide polymers

genes in polypeptide provide instructions for

building specific polypeptides from amino acids

For DNA, Adenine always pairs with

Thymine

For DNA, Guanine always pairs with

Cytosine

Each DNA strand has

weak H-bonds

DNA strands together have

a stable double helix

For RNA, Uracil bonds with

Adenine

All 4 possible nitrogenous bases for RNA

A, G, C, U

RNA/DNA both consist of

nucleotides consisting of sugar, phosphate

RNA and DNA has identical

polynucleotide chains (aside from U and T)

RNA is single

stranded

DNA exists as

a double helix

Diploid

2 sets of chromosomes (46 chromosomes) - 23 × 2

Haploid

1 set of chromosomes (23)

Karyotype

picture or display of all the chromosomes in a cell, arranged in pairs according to their size, order, shape, and banding pattern.

nucleic acids are

information storage molecules

nucleic acids provide directions for

building proteins

DNA resides in cells in long fibers called

chromosomes

Genes are a specific ____ that…

stretch of DNA that programs amino acid sequence of polypeptides

chemical code for DNA must be translated from “nucleic acid language” to

“Protein language”

nucleic acids are polymers of

nucleotides

nucleic acids are assembled by

dehydration synthesis

What are both nucleic acids?

RNA and DNA

structure of a nucleotide

structure of nucleotide when attached to other nucleotides

denaturation of DNA

Double stranded DNA to single stranded DNA

bonds with between DNA strands is usually

very strong/stable

RNA is ____ stranded

single stranded

Ribonucleic acid is for

for RNA

Compared to DNA, RNA’s sugar has

an extra OH group

central dogma of molecular biology

Replication → transcription → translation

RNA nucleotide structure

DNA contains

instructions to make protein

gene is copied to

make its own RNA molecule

RNA used to make

specific protien

u have ____ genes in a unique order

3 billion

_____ genes direct synthesis of all proteins that make u

2000 genes

sequencing DNA

elucidation of the order of bases in an organism’s DNA strand

unique order of ur bases greatly influences

what diseases u can get, how u will react to medications,

human genome is about ____ of DNA

6ft

each cell contains

2 copies of ur genome

polymorphisisisms

gene can exist in 2 or more common forms within a population

polymorphisms can be important in

influencing traits and medically important characteristics

polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

method that takes a small piece of DNA and makes millions of copies on it

Kerry Mulis

biochemist, invented polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nobel prize

through PCR, scientists can get enough DNA from

Blood, fingerprints

Major applications of PCR

DNA fingerprinting, forensic analysis, pedigree analysis, genetic disease diagnosis, pathogen detection, analysis of gene expression, cloning of genes, change/mutation of genes

pedigree analysis

how trait/disorder can be passed down

Thermus aquaticus

bacterium in hot springs

Taq DNA polymerase

heat resistant enzyme produced by Thermus aquaticus

Thermus aquaticus is used in ___ to ___

PCR to thrive in hot temp

PCR components of reaction

template DNA, 2 DNA primers, Taq DNA polymerase, Buffer, MgCl2, dNTPS (A,C,G,T)

PCR Thermal cycle conditions, 1 cycle a) 94 C

DNA denaturation

PCR Thermal cycle conditions, 1 cycle b) 55 C

primer annealing