Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids

These flashcards cover key concepts related to nucleotides and nucleic acids as discussed in the lecture.

Nucleotide

The basic building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogenous base.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, a linear polymer of nucleotides that encodes hereditary information.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid, a polymer of nucleotides involved in protein synthesis.

Phosphate group

A chemical group consisting of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, one of the key components of nucleotides.

Pentose sugar

A five-carbon sugar that forms part of the structure of nucleotides; deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA.

Nitrogenous base

A component of nucleotides that includes adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine (in DNA), and uracil (in RNA).

Phosphodiester bond

The covalent bond that links the phosphate group of one nucleotide to the sugar of another, forming the backbone of nucleic acid.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP)

A molecule derived from ATP that serves as a second messenger in cellular signaling.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

A nucleotide that serves as the primary energy currency in cells.

Chargaff's Rule

In DNA, the number of guanine (G) equals cytosine (C) and adenine (A) equals thymine (T).

Antiparallel

The orientation of the two strands of a DNA double helix running in opposite directions.

Complementary base pairing

The specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in DNA: adenine with thymine, and guanine with cytosine.

Double helix

The structure formed by two polynucleotide strands twisted around each other in DNA.

Watson and Crick

Scientists who proposed the double helix structure of DNA.

Polynucleotide

A polymer composed of multiple nucleotides linked together.