Course review

A1.2 Nucleic acids

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Learning objective

A1.2.1—DNA as genetic material

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• DNA is the genetic material of all living organisms • DNA occurs in chromosomes and also in mitochondria and chloroplasts • Some viruses use RNA, but viruses are not considered living organisms

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A1.2.2—Components of a nucleotide

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• A nucleotide contains a phosphate group, pentose sugar, and nitrogenous base • DNA nucleotides use deoxyribose; RNA nucleotides use ribose • Bases include purines A/G and pyrimidines C/T/U

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A1.2.3—Sugar-phosphate bonding

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• Condensation reactions link nucleotides by sugar-phosphate bonds • The sugar-phosphate backbone is a continuous covalent chain • Bases project from the backbone and carry sequence information

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A1.2.4—Bases form the basis of a code

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• Genetic information lies in the order of nitrogenous bases • DNA uses A, T, G, C; RNA uses A, U, G, C • Triplet codons specify amino acids in protein synthesis

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A1.2.5—RNA as a polymer

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• RNA is a single-stranded polynucleotide formed by condensation • RNA contains ribose and the bases A, U, G, and C • mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA have different roles in protein synthesis

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A1.2.6—DNA as a double helix

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• DNA has two antiparallel polynucleotide strands in a double helix • Complementary bases pair by hydrogen bonding: A-T and G-C • Draw bases attached to sugars, not phosphates

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A1.2.7—Differences between DNA and RNA

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• DNA is usually double-stranded; RNA is usually single-stranded • DNA uses deoxyribose and thymine; RNA uses ribose and uracil • RNA molecules are usually much shorter than DNA molecules

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A1.2.8—Complementary base pairing

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• A pairs with T in DNA and U in RNA; C pairs with G • Complementary base pairing enables accurate DNA replication • It also enables transcription and translation in gene expression

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A1.2.9—Diversity of DNA base sequences

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• DNA can vary in length and in base sequence • Genome size and gene number vary widely between organisms • Base-sequence diversity gives DNA enormous information-storage capacity

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A1.2.10—Conservation of genetic code

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• The 64 codons have nearly the same meanings across life • Conserved genes for transcription, translation, and ribosomes support common ancestry • Synonymous mutations can preserve amino acid sequences

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