Ch 8 Nucleic Acids

What are the 4 major roles nucleotides play in celullar metabolism?

• Energy currency in metabolic transactions

• Essential chemical links in the response of cells to hormones and other extracellular stimuli

• Structural components of an array of enzyme cofactors and metabolic intermediates

• Constituents of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acids (RNA)

Do nucleic acids act as a repository or a functional expression of biological information? Or both?

Both

The transmission of biological information relies on what?

Molecular complementarity

What are the largest molecule in any cell?

Chormosomes

What are chromosomes?

Polymers composed of a small set of common nucleotides, with information embedded in the nucleotide sequence

Is potential for variable sequence and complementarity, and thus information storage and transmission a property of any other class of biological molecule?

No

Is DNA damage a constant? If so, what is the result of it?

Yes which results in occasional mutation

Biological information is subject to what 2 principle factors?

Natural damage and change

What are the 3 principle ways we can use biological information in the laboratory?

• Access it

• Interpret it

• Alter it

What is the ultimate product of catabolic pathways?

ATP (Adenosine tri phosphate)

Nucleoside triphosphates occupy what type of role in cellular metabolism? How do they serve this function?

NTPs occupy a central role in cellular metabolism serving as an energy currency and as important regulatory signals.

What role does ATP serve in anabolic pathways?

Fuel

What is an example of a nucleic acid that stores genetic info?

DNA

What is an example of a nucleic acid that aids in transmission of genetic information?

mRNA

What is an example of a nucleic acid that is used for processing of genetic information?

Ribozymes

What is an example of 2 nucleic acids that are used for protein synthesis?

tRNA and rRNA

Nucleotides are also used in monomer form for cellular functions primarily what 3?

Enzyme for metabolism (ATP)

Enzyme cofactors (NAD+)

Signal transductions (cAMP)

How is rRNA primarily used?

Component of ribosomes

How mRNA primarily used?

Intermediates in protein synthesis

What is tRNAs primary function?

Adapter molecules that translate the information in mRNA into a specific amino acid sequence

Do noncoding RNAs serve a specific function or a wide variety of function?

A wide variety

What is a nucleotide made up of?

• Nitrogenous base (purine or pyrimidine)

• Pentose

• Phosphate

What is a nucleoside made up of?

• Nitrogenous base (Purine or pyrimidine)

• Pentose

What is the major difference between a nucleotide and a nucleoside?

A nucleoside lacks the phosphate group which a nucleotide has.

In a cyclic nitrogenous base are only carbons numbered or carbon and nitrogen atoms?

Both carbon and nitrogen atoms are numbered

What charge does the phosphate group have at a neutral pH?

Negative

At what carbon on a nitrogenous base is the phosphate group typically attached to?

C5

Nucleic acids are built using what version of the nucleotide?

5’-triphosphates (ATP, GTP, TTP, CTP)

Completed nucleic acids contain how many phosphate moiety per nucleotide?

One

In special function cases of nucleotides the phosphate group may or may not be attached to other positions?

It may differ in position

The pentose form used may or may not differ in some nucleic acids and nucleotides?

It may differ in a variety of puckered conformations

What specific form of pentose is used in RNA

Beta-d-ribofuranose

What specific form of pentose is used in DNA?

Beta-2’-deoxy-d-ribofuranose

What type of molecule are nitrogenous bases?

Nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic molecules

Are nitrogenous bases planar or non-planar?

Planar

In what spectrum and at what wave length do nitrogenous bases absorb light?

UV light around 250-70nm

What three nitrogenous bases are found in both DNA and RNA?

• Cytosine

• Adenine

• Guanine

What nitrogenous base is only found in DNA?

Thymine

What nitrogenous base is only found in RNA?

Uracil

Are nitrogenous bases good H-bond donors and acceptors?

Yes

At pH 7 what charge do nitrogenous bases have?

Neutral

What molecule is this? Give the nucleotide and nucleoside names as well as the 3 symbols that represent it

Nucleotide: Deoxyadenylate (deoxyadenosine 5’-monophosphate)

Nucleoside: Deoxyadenosine

Symbols: A, dA, dAMP

What molecule is this? Give the nucleotide and nucleoside names as well as the 3 symbols that represent it

Nucleotide: Deoxyguanylate