BIO 1330: Lecture 09 - DNA Structure

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards based on Lecture 09 - DNA Structure, covering key experiments, nucleotide components, nitrogenous bases, phosphodiester bonds, and rules of complementary base pairing.

Griffith's Transformation Experiment

An experiment where heat-killed virulent bacteria were mixed with live harmless bacteria, permanently transforming the harmless bacteria into virulent bacteria and demonstrating the presence of a heritable 'transforming principle'.

Avery, MacLeod & McCarty Experiment

An experiment using four treatments with specific enzymes to systematically break down cellular components, confirming that DNA, and not protein, is the genetic material.

RNase

An enzyme that breaks down RNA.

Protease

An enzyme that breaks down protein.

DNase

An enzyme used in molecular biology experiments to break down nucleic acids and identify genetic material.

Nucleotide

The basic building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a $5$-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Deoxyribose

The $5$-carbon sugar component of nucleotides found in DNA.

Ribose

The $5$-carbon sugar component of nucleotides found in RNA.

5' Carbon Attachment

The specific carbon on the nucleotide sugar molecule where the phosphate group attaches.

1' Carbon Attachment

The specific carbon on the nucleotide sugar molecule where the nitrogenous base attaches.

Purines

A class of nitrogenous bases with two ring structures, comprising adenine (A) and guanine (G).

Pyrimidines

A class of nitrogenous bases with a single ring structure, comprising cytosine (C) and thymine (T) in DNA.

Uracil (U)

The pyrimidine base present in RNA that replaces thymine (T).

Phosphodiester Bond

The chemical covalent bond that links the $3'$ carbon of one sugar to the $5'$ phosphate of the adjacent sugar in a polynucleotide chain.

Sugar-Phosphate Backbone

The continuous structural chain formed by repeating phosphodiester bonds between sugars and phosphate groups along a nucleic acid strand.

5' End

The terminal end of a polynucleotide strand that contains a free $5'$ phosphate group.

3' End

The terminal end of a polynucleotide strand that contains a free $3'$ carbon.

Antiparallel Strands

The orientation of the two complementary strands of DNA running alongside each other in opposite $5' \rightarrow 3'$ directions.

Complementary Base Pairing

The specific hydrogen bonding rules between nitrogenous bases in DNA, where adenine always pairs with thymine via two hydrogen bonds, and guanine always pairs with cytosine via three hydrogen bonds.

Adenine (A)

A two-ring purine base that forms two hydrogen bonds with thymine (T) in DNA.

Guanine (G)

A two-ring purine base that forms three hydrogen bonds with cytosine (C) in DNA.

Cytosine (C)

A single-ring pyrimidine base that forms three hydrogen bonds with guanine (G) in DNA.

Thymine (T)

A single-ring pyrimidine base that forms two hydrogen bonds with adenine (A) in DNA.