1.3 Nucleic acids as information molecules

What are the types of nucleic acids?

DNA and RNA

What is DNA?

Deoxyribose nucleic acid is a polymer located in chromosomes in the nucleus with the subunits of deoxyribose sugar phosphate group and nitrogenous bases.

What is RNA?

Rio nucleic acid is formed against the DNA template strand and is a single chain with rubbers, sugar and thymine changed to uracil

What are the types of RNA?

• Messenger RNA mRNA

• Ribosomal RNA rRNA

• Transfer RNA tRNA

What is Messenger RNA?

Carries a copy of genetic information from within the nucleus into the cytoplasm to the ribosomes for the message to be translated into a particular protein

What is ribosomal RNA?

A stable form of RNA within ribosomes

What is transfer RNA?

A form of RNA that attaches to amino acids with its anticodon and carries them to ribosomes during translation.

How are nitrogenous spaces held together?

Adenine - Thymine is held with 2 hydrogen bonds

Guanine - Cytosine is held with 3 hydrogen bonds

How can you identify which end of a DNA’s backbone is the five end or the three end?

If the sequence ends with a phosphate group, then it must be the five’ end and if it ends with the OH group, it must be the three’ end.

What does it mean for DNA to be anti-parallel?

One side of the double helix strand goes in a 5 to 3 direction whereas the other strand goes in a 3 to 5 direction allowing the nitrogenous spaces to bond

What is RNS polymerase?

An enzyme which transcribes the mRNA sequence into RNA in a 5’ to 3’ direction