Macromolecules: Nucleic Acids

2 types of nucleic acids + what they are made of

• DNA
  - RNA
  
  made up of C, H, O, and N

Monomer and Polymer of Nucleic Acids

Monomer: nucleotide

Polymer: Nucleic acid

What are nucleotides made up of

"- phosphate group
- 5 carbon sugar (AKA pentose)
- nitrogeneous base (ATCG, AUCG)

"

Purines

doube ring structure

- Adenine
- Guanine

Pyridimines

single ring structure

- uracil
- thymine
- cytosine

What is a phosphodiester bond

covalent bond that links a phosphate to the 5' of 1 nucleotide and the 3' of another nuleotide

- phosphates are added to the 5' while new nucleotides are added to the 3' of pentose

Deoxyribose and ribose are….

• aldoses
  - NOT ISOMERS

DNA's double helix structure looks like….

5'                3'





3'                5'

Hydrogen bonds….

"hold the nitrogeneous bases together

"

Nucleoside vs Nucleotide

nucleoside: no phosphate group

nucleotide: has phosphate group 

RNA vs. DNA

RNA:
- involved in protein synthesis
- leaves nucleus
- usually single stranded
- ribose

DNA:
- carries genetic info
- stays in the nucleus
- double stranded
- deoxyribose

Transcription

• used for gene expression
  - RNA synthesis is made by transcription

What is translation

process where the info in RNA is used to make proteins