A1.1 Nucleic Acid Vocabulary Quiz

Nucleic Acid

A biomolecule that stores and transmits genetic information.

DNA

The genetic material used by all living organisms.

RNA

A nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis and gene expression.

Genetic Material

The substance that carries hereditary information from one generation to the next.

Hershey-Chase Experiment

An experiment that demonstrated DNA, not protein, is the genetic material.

Nucleotide

The monomer of nucleic acids, made of a sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base.

Pentose Sugar

A five-carbon sugar found in nucleotides (deoxyribose in DNA, ribose in RNA).

Phosphate Group

The component of a nucleotide that links sugars together in the backbone.

Nitrogenous Base

The variable component of a nucleotide that forms the genetic code.

Gene

A sequence of DNA bases that codes for the functional product, usually a protein.

Sugar-Phosphate Backbone

The repeating chain of sugars and phosphates that forms the structural framework of DNA and RNA.

Condensation Reaction

A chemical reaction that joins nucleotides by removing water.

Polymer

A large molecule made of repeating monomer subunits.

5’ and 3’ ends

The directional ends of a nucleic acid strand based on carbon numbering in the sugar.

Antiparallel

The arrangement of DNA strands running in the opposite 5’ —> 3’ directions.

Double Helix

The twisted ladder-shaped structure of DNA.

Complementary Base Pairing—Specific Pairing of Bases

Adenine with thymine (or uracil in RNA), and cytosine with guanine.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond that holds complementary bases together.

Purine

A double-ring nitrogenous base (adenine or guanine).

Pyrimidine

A single-base nitrogenous base (cytosine, thymine, or uracil).