NBCE BOARDS PART 1- BIOCHEMISTRY
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Purine nitrogen is derived from which 3 amino acids? - Answer-Aspartate,
Glycine, &
Glutamine
Xanthine and hypoxanthine lead to what? And what is the rate limiting enzyme of purine
breakdown? - Answer-Uric acid
&
Xanthine oxidase is the rate limiting enzyme
What are the 2 Intermediates in purine metabolism? What type of acid does this lead
to? - Answer-Hypoxanthine, &
Xanthine
(Leads to Uric acid)
What are the 3 Pyrimidines? - Answer-Thymine (DNA only),
Uracil (RNA only),
& Cytosine
(pneumonic = King TUC)
Nucleosides consists of what 2 things? - Answer-Pentose sugar &
Nitrogenous base
Nucleotides consists of what 3 things? - Answer-Pentose sugar,
Nitrogenous base, &
Phosphate
What type of bonds are found in both **RNA** and **DNA**? - Answer-
**Phosphodiester Bonds**
**What phosphodiester bond linkage is between what two structures?** - Answer-The
bond linkage is between the 3' Carbon old one sugar molecule and the 5' Carbon of
another, deoxyribose in DNA and Ribose in RNA
What type of bonds are phosphodiester bonds? - Answer-**Covalent bonds**
H+ bonds are present where? - Answer-In DNA (DNA alpha helix)
What are the sequence of events happening in DNA? - Answer-**Replication,
Transcription, Translation, Protein Synthesis, Reverse Transcription**
,Where does replication occur? What phase of the cell cycle does replication occur? -
Answer-**Nucleus,
& S-phase**
How does the base pairing go in DNA? - Answer-**(Adenine & Thymine)
&
(Guanine & Cytosine)**
DNA Replication occurs in what **direction**? - Answer-**5' Carbon to 3' Carbon**
DNA replication is what two things? - Answer-**Anti-parallel and non-comparable**
What is the DNA replication (DNA >DNA) **enzyme**? - Answer-**DNA polymerase**
Transcription is the process of DNA transcribing to what?
Transcription occurs where? - Answer-mRNA
**Nucleus**
Transcription proceeds in what direction? - Answer-**5' Carbon to 3' Carbon**
How many strands is mRNA? - Answer-**Single strand**
mRNA is single stranded and contains what? - Answer-Contains ribose as the
penthouse sugar and has uracil in place of thymine
Every **3 bases** in mRNA is called what? - Answer-**Codon**
What does a **codon** encode for? - Answer-A **codon** encodes for a **single amino
acid**
What is the transcription (DNA > mRNA) **enzyme**? - Answer-**RNA Polymerase**
The **first amino acid** in DNA transcription is always coded for what? - Answer-
**Methionine**
What is the **Start codon** for Transcription? - Answer-**AUG &
GUG**
What are the **Stop codons** for Transcription? - Answer-**UAA,
UGA, &
UAG**
What does translation consist of? - Answer-**Converting mRNA to Protein**
Where does translation **occur**? - Answer-In the **Cytoplasm** (occurs on the rough
endoplasmic reticulum RER in the cytoplasm)
, What does translation involve? - Answer-Translation involves **mRNA, transfer RNA
(tRNA), and Ribosomes**
What do the ribosomes do to the mRNA to continue the process of translation? -
Answer-Ribosomes surround the mRNA and **expose 2 codons** at a time.
The **Codon** of the **mRNA** is recognized by what? - Answer-Recognized by the
**Anticodon** present on the **tRNA** molecule
The **tRNA** molecules are also **bound** to what? - Answer-**a specific amino acid**
What enzyme links two amino acids together that begins the synthesis of a polypeptide
chain (a protein)? - Answer-**Peptidyl Transferase**
**Protein Synthesis** occurs when ribosomes read mRNA in what direction? - Answer-5'
Carbon > 3' Carbon direction
**Protein synthesis** proceeds from where to where? - Answer-**N-terminus to C-
Terminus**
**Protein Synthesis always adds what? - Answer-**amino acids at the C-terminus during
translation**
What does **Reverse Transcription** consist of? - Answer-Turns **RNA back to DNA**
What are Catabolic reactions? What are they used for? - Answer-Breakdown of
macromolecules to simple precursors,
Generally used to generate ATP & decrease power (NADH, FADH2)
What are some Examples of catabolic reactions? - Answer-**Glycolysis, Lipolysis**
(fatty acid oxidation), & **Glycogenolysis** (glycogen breakdown)
What are Anabolic Reactions? - Answer-The Synthesis of macromolecules from simple
precursors
ATP and reducing power generated from catabolic pathways are used to drive what? -
Answer-**anabolic reactions**
What are some Examples of anabolic reactions? - Answer-**Gluconeogenesis**
(synthesis of glucose),
**Lipogenesis** (fatty acid synthesis),
**Glycogenesis** (glycogen synthesis),
& **Nucleic acid synthesis**
What does **Kinase** do? - Answer-**Moves phosphate around**
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Purine nitrogen is derived from which 3 amino acids? - Answer-Aspartate,
Glycine, &
Glutamine
Xanthine and hypoxanthine lead to what? And what is the rate limiting enzyme of purine
breakdown? - Answer-Uric acid
&
Xanthine oxidase is the rate limiting enzyme
What are the 2 Intermediates in purine metabolism? What type of acid does this lead
to? - Answer-Hypoxanthine, &
Xanthine
(Leads to Uric acid)
What are the 3 Pyrimidines? - Answer-Thymine (DNA only),
Uracil (RNA only),
& Cytosine
(pneumonic = King TUC)
Nucleosides consists of what 2 things? - Answer-Pentose sugar &
Nitrogenous base
Nucleotides consists of what 3 things? - Answer-Pentose sugar,
Nitrogenous base, &
Phosphate
What type of bonds are found in both **RNA** and **DNA**? - Answer-
**Phosphodiester Bonds**
**What phosphodiester bond linkage is between what two structures?** - Answer-The
bond linkage is between the 3' Carbon old one sugar molecule and the 5' Carbon of
another, deoxyribose in DNA and Ribose in RNA
What type of bonds are phosphodiester bonds? - Answer-**Covalent bonds**
H+ bonds are present where? - Answer-In DNA (DNA alpha helix)
What are the sequence of events happening in DNA? - Answer-**Replication,
Transcription, Translation, Protein Synthesis, Reverse Transcription**
,Where does replication occur? What phase of the cell cycle does replication occur? -
Answer-**Nucleus,
& S-phase**
How does the base pairing go in DNA? - Answer-**(Adenine & Thymine)
&
(Guanine & Cytosine)**
DNA Replication occurs in what **direction**? - Answer-**5' Carbon to 3' Carbon**
DNA replication is what two things? - Answer-**Anti-parallel and non-comparable**
What is the DNA replication (DNA >DNA) **enzyme**? - Answer-**DNA polymerase**
Transcription is the process of DNA transcribing to what?
Transcription occurs where? - Answer-mRNA
**Nucleus**
Transcription proceeds in what direction? - Answer-**5' Carbon to 3' Carbon**
How many strands is mRNA? - Answer-**Single strand**
mRNA is single stranded and contains what? - Answer-Contains ribose as the
penthouse sugar and has uracil in place of thymine
Every **3 bases** in mRNA is called what? - Answer-**Codon**
What does a **codon** encode for? - Answer-A **codon** encodes for a **single amino
acid**
What is the transcription (DNA > mRNA) **enzyme**? - Answer-**RNA Polymerase**
The **first amino acid** in DNA transcription is always coded for what? - Answer-
**Methionine**
What is the **Start codon** for Transcription? - Answer-**AUG &
GUG**
What are the **Stop codons** for Transcription? - Answer-**UAA,
UGA, &
UAG**
What does translation consist of? - Answer-**Converting mRNA to Protein**
Where does translation **occur**? - Answer-In the **Cytoplasm** (occurs on the rough
endoplasmic reticulum RER in the cytoplasm)
, What does translation involve? - Answer-Translation involves **mRNA, transfer RNA
(tRNA), and Ribosomes**
What do the ribosomes do to the mRNA to continue the process of translation? -
Answer-Ribosomes surround the mRNA and **expose 2 codons** at a time.
The **Codon** of the **mRNA** is recognized by what? - Answer-Recognized by the
**Anticodon** present on the **tRNA** molecule
The **tRNA** molecules are also **bound** to what? - Answer-**a specific amino acid**
What enzyme links two amino acids together that begins the synthesis of a polypeptide
chain (a protein)? - Answer-**Peptidyl Transferase**
**Protein Synthesis** occurs when ribosomes read mRNA in what direction? - Answer-5'
Carbon > 3' Carbon direction
**Protein synthesis** proceeds from where to where? - Answer-**N-terminus to C-
Terminus**
**Protein Synthesis always adds what? - Answer-**amino acids at the C-terminus during
translation**
What does **Reverse Transcription** consist of? - Answer-Turns **RNA back to DNA**
What are Catabolic reactions? What are they used for? - Answer-Breakdown of
macromolecules to simple precursors,
Generally used to generate ATP & decrease power (NADH, FADH2)
What are some Examples of catabolic reactions? - Answer-**Glycolysis, Lipolysis**
(fatty acid oxidation), & **Glycogenolysis** (glycogen breakdown)
What are Anabolic Reactions? - Answer-The Synthesis of macromolecules from simple
precursors
ATP and reducing power generated from catabolic pathways are used to drive what? -
Answer-**anabolic reactions**
What are some Examples of anabolic reactions? - Answer-**Gluconeogenesis**
(synthesis of glucose),
**Lipogenesis** (fatty acid synthesis),
**Glycogenesis** (glycogen synthesis),
& **Nucleic acid synthesis**
What does **Kinase** do? - Answer-**Moves phosphate around**
