Nucleic Acid Structure and Complexity Vocabulary

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering monomers, bases, bonding, structure, stability, and levels of complexity for DNA and RNA based on lecture notes.

Ribonucleotides

Monomers of RNA consisting of a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases ($\text{A}$, $\text{G}$, $\text{C}$, or $\text{U}$).

Deoxyribonucleotides

Monomers of DNA consisting of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases ($\text{A}$, $\text{G}$, $\text{C}$, or $\text{T}$).

Purines

A class of double-ringed nitrogenous bases formed from 9 atoms, consisting of adenine ($\text{A}$) and guanine ($\text{G}$).

Pyrimidines

A class of single-ringed nitrogenous bases consisting of 6 atoms in each single ring, including cytosine ($\text{C}$), uracil ($\text{U}$), and thymine ($\text{T}$).

Nucleotide

The smallest building block of nucleic acids, composed of a 5-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base bonded to the $1'$ carbon of the sugar, and a phosphate group bonded to the $5'$ carbon.

Phosphodiester linkage

A covalent bond bridge formed by a phosphate group between the hydroxyl ($\text{-OH}$) group on the $3'$ carbon of one sugar and the phosphate group on the $5'$ carbon of another sugar through a condensation reaction that releases a water molecule.

Ribose

The 5-carbon sugar found in RNA that has an $\text{-OH}$ group on its $2'$ carbon, making RNA less stable and more reactive than DNA.

Deoxyribose

The 5-carbon sugar found in DNA that has an $\text{-H}$ atom instead of an $\text{-OH}$ group on its $2'$ carbon, making DNA more stable.

5' end

The strand end of a DNA or RNA molecule that has a phosphate group at the terminus.

3' end

The strand end of a DNA or RNA molecule that has an $\text{-OH}$ group at the terminus.

Antiparallel

The structural alignment of two complementary DNA strands running in opposite directions ($5' \rightarrow 3'$ and $3' \rightarrow 5'$).

Chargaff's rules

The quantitative relationships of bases in DNA where Adenine always equals Thymine ($A = T$) and Cytosine always equals Guanine ($C = G$).

Complementary Base Pairing

Hydrogen bonding between specific base partners ($A-T$ and $C-G$ in DNA; $A-U$ and $C-G$ in RNA) that allows each strand to act as instructions for accurate copying.

Chromosome

A long DNA molecule tightly packaged with proteins that contains many genes.

Genome

All of the DNA in an organism, including all of its chromosomes.

RNA Hairpin

A secondary RNA structure formed when a single RNA strand folds back on itself and complementary bases pair, creating a stem and loop shape.

RNA Tertiary Structure

A complex 3D shape formed when RNA folds further beyond hairpins to perform its specific function.

Levels of DNA Complexity

The 5 structural levels of DNA organization: Nucleotide, Single Strand, Double Helix, Chromosome, and Genome.

Levels of RNA Complexity

The 4 structural levels of RNA organization: Nucleotide, Single Strand, RNA Hairpin, and Tertiary Structure.