ATP, RNA, and DNA Structures and Functions

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing cellular energy (ATP), phosphorylation, cellular work, RNA characteristics and types, and DNA structure.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

An adenine-containing RNA nucleotide with two additional phosphate groups that captures chemical energy released during glucose breakdown and directly powers chemical reactions in cells.

Structure of ATP

A nucleotide composed of an adenine base, a ribose sugar, and three phosphate groups held together by high-energy phosphate bonds that can be hydrolyzed to release energy.

Phosphorylation

The transfer of the terminal phosphate group of ATP to other compounds, turning on reactions and enabling those compounds to use stored bond energy to do work.

ATP Hydrolysis Reaction

A reaction where ATP and $H_2O$ convert into $ADP + P_i + \text{energy}$, which can also run in reverse.

Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP)

The compound produced when ATP loses its terminal phosphate group.

Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP)

The compound produced when ADP loses a second phosphate group.

Cellular Work Types

The three forms of cellular activity requiring ATP phosphorylation: transport work, mechanical work, and chemical work.

Transport Work

Cellular work in which ATP phosphorylates transport proteins, activating them to transport solutes across cell membranes.

Mechanical Work

Cellular work in which ATP phosphorylates contractile proteins in muscle cells so the cells can contract and shorten.

Chemical Work

Cellular work in which ATP phosphorylates key reactants, providing energy to drive energy-absorbing chemical reactions.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

A single-stranded linear molecule active mostly outside the nucleus that links DNA to protein synthesis, containing ribose sugar and uracil instead of thymine.

Uracil

The nitrogenous base that replaces thymine in ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Ribose

The sugar component present in RNA nucleotides, distinguishing RNA from DNA.

Varieties of RNA

The three types of RNA that carry out DNA instructions for protein synthesis: Messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA).

Structure of DNA

A double-helix structure containing adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine bases joined by hydrogen bonds and supported by a sugar-phosphate backbone with deoxyribose sugar.