ACS Biochemistry Study Guide Questions and Answers

State the central dogma of genetics Ans- DNA can self replicate via translation DNA is coded into RNA via transcription RNA is made into proteins via translation Structure of a nucleotide Ans- 5 carbon sugar, phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base Name the monomer of nucleic acids Ans- nucleotides Describe the relative stability of DNA and RNA Ans- DNA is more stable than RNA because DNA lacks the 2' hydroxyl group; since DNA only has a 3' hydroxyl group, the phosphodiester bonds formed are specific and rigid; also, the C-H bond at the 2' carbon in deoxyribose is much less reactive than the C-OH bond in ribose How many strands do DNA and RNA usually have Ans- DNA is double stranded and RNA is usually single-stranded Describe the function of tRNA Ans- contain an anticodon to the mRNA codon; deliver the corresponding amino acid to the ribosome during translation Describe the wobble effect Ans- tRNA binds much looser at the third codon so codons that call for the same amino acid usually differ in the 3rd base; thus, a change of the third codon is less likely to have a biological effect Describe the degenerate nature of the genetic code Ans- a single amino acid is often coded for by more than one codon (usually differ at the 3rd pos