Nucleic Acids

Nucleotides

Nucleotides are the monomers of nucleic acids

They are energy rich compounds

They provide energy for metabolic processes

They are a part of enzyme cofactors e.g.

NAD - nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, FAD – flavin adenine dinucleotide

They act as secondary chemical messengers in response to hormones

 Nucleotides

A nucleotide consist of three portions

(a) a nitrogenous bases – purine and pyrimidine

common purine bases – adenine and guanine

common pyrimidine bases – cytosine, uracil, thymine

http://www.uic.edu/classes/bios/bios100/lecturesf04am/nucleotides.jpg Uracil
 Nucleotides
(b) A sugar – deoxyribose or ribose

http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Deoxyribose_vs_Ribose.gif
 Nucleotides

(c) One or more phosphate groups
 Nucleotides

Some common nucleotides include-

ATP – adenosine triphosphate

ADP – adenosine diphosphate

AMP – adenosine monophosphate

GTP – guanosine triphosphate

UTP – uridine triphosphate

CTP – cytidine triphosphate

 Nucleotides - AMP

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-02/982619379.Bc.1.gif
Nucleotides - ADP
 Nucleotides - ATP

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/ATP_chemical_structure.png/800px-
ATP_chemical_structure.png
 Nucleic Acids

There are two types of nucleic acids

(a) DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid

(b) RNA – ribonucleic acid

They provide genetic information

Both nucleic acids are found in plants and animals

Viruses contain either RNA or DNA but not both

 Nucleic Acids - DNA

It is found in the chromatin of the cell nucleolus

It is also found outside the nucleus i.e. in the mitochondria and chloroplast

It contains genetic information in a segment called the genes

It contains information (blue print) that is used to construct other cell components

The DNA structure consist of two strands that are entwined

It is made up of nucleotide monomers

The structure is described as a double helix (proposed by Watson and Crick)

The helix is formed through the pairing of the nitrogenous bases in the nucleotide
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/illustrations/dnastructure.jpg
 Nucleic Acids - DNA

The double helix is also called the B-form DNA or B-DNA

This form is very stable

There also exists different variations in DNA helix structure i.e. A-DNA and Z-
DNA

Both forms are converted into the B-DNA at normal physiological conditions
 Main Differences in Variations
A-DNA B-DNA Z-DNA
Right handed helix Right handed helix Left handed helix

Helix has a hollow core Helix has a solid core Helix has a solid core –
more tightly packed

Appears when the DNA is Occurs at normal Occurs when there is very
dehydrated physiological conditions high salt concentration
 Nucleic Acids – DNA Structure

The backbone of the DNA is comprised of a deoxyribose sugar linked by
phosphodiester bridges

The 3' hydroxyl group of the sugar is linked to the

5' hydroxyl group of another sugar by a phosphodiester bond

The linking of the sugars maintains the structure of the DNA

http://fig.cox.miami.edu/~cmallery/150/gene/16x3DNA.jpg
 Nucleic Acids – DNA Structure

The strands run antiparallel to each other, i.e. one strands run in the 3' → 5'
direction and the other strand runs in the 5' → 3' direction

The nitrogenous bases found in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and
guanine (G)

They carry the genetic information

Adenine is paired with thymine and vice versa by 2 hydrogen bonds A =T

Guanine is paired with cytosine by 3 hydrogen bonds (G ≡ C)

 Nucleic Acids – DNA Structure

The pairing of the bases is
referred to as complementary
base pairing

The two helices are

complementary to each other.
They are not identical

There must exist equal amounts

of complementary bases

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/DNA_chemical
_structure.svg/350px-DNA_chemical_structure.svg.png
 Nucleic Acids – DNA Structure

The DNA helix can be bent or super coiled

This flexibility allows DNA to be wrapped around proteins

Allows the DNA to be compact into smaller volumes

 Nucleic Acids - RNA

RNA is present in the cytosol of the cell and in the nucleolus

It is formed from DNA by a process called Transcription

The molecule consist of

(a) a phosphate group

(b) a nitrogenous base – adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C) and guanine (G)

(c) sugar – ribose

Nucleic Acids - RNA

Similar to DNA, the nitrogenous bases in RNA carries the genetic
information and sugar-phosphate serves to maintain the structure of the
molecule
 Nucleic Acids – RNA Structure

The structure is single stranded and runs in the 5' → 3' direction

However because base pairing can occur, the molecule can fold on itself in the
form of a hairpin

During base pairing adenine pairs with uracil and guanine with cytosine

A =U G≡C

The hairpin formation does not require the molecule to have equal amounts of
complementary base pairs
http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/biology/01.TU.03/illustration
s/01.IL.09.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ciliate_telomerase_RNA.JPG
Differences Between DNA and
RNA
 DNA RNA
Found in the chromatin of the nucleus Found mainly in the cytoplasm and to a
lesser extent in the nucleolus
Helix is B form; Protected in the nucleus Helix is A form; They are continually made,
and is tightly packed broken down and reuse
Sugar – 2 deoxyribose (more stable sugar) Sugar – ribose
Nitrogenous bases are A, T, C and G Nitrogenous bases are A, U, C and G

Double stranded Normally single stranded

The A/T and G/C ratio is 1 Complementary base pairs ratio not
necessary
Base pairing occurs throughout the molecule Base pairing occurs at specific locations

Stores genetic information Transfer of genetic information needed for

protein synthesis
Self replicating Must be synthesized from DNA molecule
Can be damaged by UV rays More resistant to damage by UV rays
 Types of RNA

There exist three RNA forms

ribosomal RNA – rRNA

transfer RNA – tRNA

messenger RNA – mRNA

They differ from each other by size, function and stability

 Types of RNA - rRNA

It is the most abundant and makes up
80% of the RNA in the cells

It is also the most stable form

The molecule has a higher GC

content than AU content

In the cytoplasm rRNA combines with

proteins to form ribosomes
 Ribosome

http://img.sparknotes.com/figures/F/f88cd44dc6a50ffa6b94cdb9d213894e/ribosome.gif
 Types of RNA - tRNA

It occupies 15% of the total RNA in the cell

It is the smallest polymeric form

It functions as a carrier of activated amino acids to a growing polypeptide chain

(protein synthesis)

It binds to specific amino acids

All tRNA molecules have a three fold clover leaf configuration

The 3' end contains the CCA sequence. Amino acids bind to this end via esterification

The anticodon region base pairs to the corresponding codon region on the mRNA
molecule

Each tRNA molecule contains a specific anticodon triplet

http://universe-review.ca/I11-21-tRNA1.jpg
 Types of RNA - mRNA

Otherwise called template RNA

Comprises 5% of RNA in the cell

It is synthesized on the surface of the DNA template

It carries genetic information from the nuclear DNA to the cytosol

It is used as a template for protein synthesis

If the mRNA carries the code for a simple protein it is called monocistronic

If it carries the code for more than one kind of protein it is polycistronic