pentose sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing
organic base of either cytosine, thymine, uracil, adenine or
guanine
What are the monomers that make up a nucleic acid?
Nucleotides
What does RNA stand for? Ribonucleic acid
What does DNA stand for? Deoxyribonucleic acid
What do DNA and RNA do? Carry genetic information
What is the name for bonds between nucleotides? Phosphodiester
bonds
What is the difference between DNA and RNA? RNA contains a
ribose sugar and DNA contains a deoxyribose sugar
What is the name given to the structure of DNA, and what does it
mean? Double-helix: two polynucleotide strands joined
together by the bases, like a ladder, and twisted
What kind of bonds hold together the bases? Hydrogen bonds
How does complementary base pairing work? A only pairs to T/U
and G only pairs to C
What is the relationship between quantities of the bases?
Complementary bases will always have the same quantities
What is the purpose of the sugar-phosphate backbone? To protect
the more chemically reactive, and valuable organic bases inside
the double helix
Why is a DNA molecule with a higher proportion of G-C pairs more
stable? G forms three hydrogen bonds with C, whereas A forms
two with T, so a molecule with more G-C pairs will be more stable
How does DNAs hydrogen bonds relate to its structure? They are
easily broken, allowing for easy access to the bases for DNA
replication and protein synthesis
How does DNAs mode of replication? Semi-conservative replication
What does semi-conservative replication mean? Both DNA parent
strands are used as template strands for new daughter nucleotides
to attach to, meaning each new DNA molecule is half old and half
new.
What is the process for DNA replication? 1. The enzyme DNA
helicase unzips the DNA molecule by breaking the hydrogen bonds
between bases, exposing the bases.<div>2. Each exposed
polynucleotide strand acts as a template to which free
nucleotides are assigned through complementary base
pairing.</div><div>3. These nucleotides are condensed together
with the enzyme DNA polymerase</div>
What is the name of the scientists that discovered semi-
conservative replication? Meselsohn and Stahl
What is ATP used as? An intermediate source of energy for
cells to use for processes
What is ATP made up of? Adenine, a ribose sugar, and three