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Nucleic acids Learning Outcomes

At end of this session, students should be able to:

1.Explain the importance of Nucleic acids;
2.Differentiate DNA and RNA;
3.Identify the parts of DNA and RNA;
4.Explain the Central Dogma; and
5.Explain the processes and key factors involved in
DNA Replication

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CHROMOSOMES AND GENES

_________________________
Structure in the cell nucleus thought to be the
carrier of genetic information

_________________________
Portion of a chromosome that controlled a
specific inheritable trait

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Genes in Transferring Information

NUCLEIC ACID
TYPES
• A ______ is the sequence of nucleotides
within a portion of DNA that codes for a
peptide or a functional RNA
• Sum of all genes = ______________

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Types of Nucleic Acid

• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) DNA RNA
– Is almost always double-
stranded (_______ structure)
– ___________________ NUCLEIC ACID
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
COMPONENTS
– ___________________
– ________________

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Nucleotides and Nucleic acids Nucleotide

PART OF THE NUCLEOTIDE

– A _____-membered ring monosaccharide
– A nitrogen-containing cyclic compound
– A _______________ group

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COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

SUGARS
• DNA – _____________ (2-deoxy means that
an oxygen atom is _______ from the ______
position of ribose

• RNA – __________

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COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

BASES
BASES
• Purine (2)
• ___________ (2)
has _______-fused nitrogen-containing ring
✓ ____________
✓ ____________

• ___________ (3) • Pyrimidine (3)

Has ______ nitrogen-containing ring
✓ Cytosine
✓ Thymine
✓ _____________

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COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

SUGAR + BASE = NUCLEOSIDE

✓ Sugar and the base are connected by a bond
between one of the nitrogen atoms in a ring
and the sugar’s _______ carbon atom

✓ ________________________– the bond

connecting the sugar and the base

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COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

NUCLEOSIDE + PHOSPHATE = NUCLEOTIDE

✓ _______________ – are the building blocks

of nucleic acids
✓ Monomers of the DNA and RNA polymers
✓ Each nucleotide is a ______________ester
of a nucleoside
✓ Are named by adding 5’-monophosphate at
the end of the name of the nucleoside

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COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS COMPOSITION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS

RIBONUCLEOTIDE DEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDE Nucleotides

✓ Can add additional __________ groups to
form diphosphate or triphosphate esters

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DNA RNA
BASES DEOXYRIBONUCLEOSIDES DEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDES BASES RIBONUCLEOSIDES RIBONUCLEOTIDES

ADENINE (A) Deoxyadenosine 5’- ADENINE (A) Adenosine 5’-Monophosphate

Deoxyadenosine Monophosphate (dAMP) Adenosine (AMP)

GUANINE (G) Deoxyguanosine 5’- GUANINE (G) Guanosine 5’-Monophosphate

Deoxyguanosine Monophosphate (dGMP) Guanosine (GMP)

CYTOSINE (C) Deoxycytidine 5’-Monophosphate CYTOSINE (C) Cytidine 5’-Monophosphate (CMP)

Deoxycytidine (dCMP) Cytidine

THYMINE (T) Deoxythymidine 5’- URACIL (U) Uridine 5’-Monophosphate (AMP)

Deoxythymidine Monophosphate (dAMP) Uridine

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

Primary Structure
• Alternating deoxyribose
(for DNA) and phosphate
group
✓ backbone of the
molecule
✓ Phosphate group is
linked to the 5’ carbon
of the same sugar unit
and simultaneously to
the 3’ carbon of the
next sugar unit

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

Secondary Structure
James Watson and Francis
Crick
Based on the following:
✓ ____________ Rule that
(A and T) and (G and C)
are present in equimolar
quantities
✓ X-ray diffraction
photographs obtained by
________________and
Maurice Wilkins

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

Secondary Structure
Chargaff’s Rule
✓ For each A on one chain, a T is aligned opposite
it on the other chain G – C
✓ The bases so paired form ______with each other,
_____________________(complementary base
pairs)

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

Secondary Structure
Double Helix
✓ The 2 polynucleotide
chains run in opposite
directions
✓ One 5’ – OH and one 3’
– OH terminal
✓ Bases are ___________
✓ ____________________
_____________is
exposed to the aqueous
environment

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STRUCTURE OF DNA & RNA

Higher Structure
• DNA in the nuclei is not stretched out, but
rather coiled around basic protein molecules
called ________________
✓ The acidic DNA and the basic histones attract
each other by electrostatic (ionic) forces,
combining to form units called _______________
✓ In a nucleosome, _______ histones form a core,
around which a 147-base pair DNA double helix
is wound

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Types of RNA
• messenger RNA (mRNA) – codes for proteins

• ribosomal RNA (rRNA) – forms the core of the

ribosomes, machinery for making proteins
TYPES OF RNA
• transfer RNA (tRNA) – matches code for
amino acid on mRNA and positions the right
amino acid in place during protein synthesis

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Types of RNA Types of RNA

Messenger RNA (mRNA) Ribosomal RNA
✓ Carry the genetic information from the DNA in the (rRNA)
nucleus directly to the cytoplasm ✓ RNA in complexed
✓ Consists of a chain of nucleotides whose with proteins in
sequence is exactly complementary to one of the ______________
strands of DNA

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Ribosome Types of RNA

Transfer RNA (tRNA)
• Complex machinery that
controls protein synthesis
• 2 subunits
– 1 large – catalyzes the peptide
bond formation
– 1 small – binds mRNA and
tRNA
✓ Containing from 73 to 93
nucleotides per chain
✓ There is at least one different
tRNA for each of the 20 amino
acids
✓ Transports __________to the
site of protein synthesis in the
ribosomes

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Ribozyme
Ribozymes
✓ Catalytic RNA
✓ Catalyze the
______________
of mRNA

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Central Dogma of Life

• DNA acts as a
“manager” in the
CENTRAL process of making
DOGMA OF LIFE proteins
From DNA to Protein
• DNA is the template
or starting sequence
that is copied into
RNA that is then used
to make the protein • One gene – one protein

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Central Dogma of Life Central Dogma of Life

• Information contained in DNA molecules is
transferred to RNA molecules, and then from the
RNA molecules the information is expressed in the
structure of proteins
• 2 Steps in transmission of information:
✓Transcription
✓Translation
• This is the same for bacteria to humans
• DNA is the genetic instruction
• DNA → RNA is called ______________
– RNA chain is called a transcript
• RNA → Protein is called _____________

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Central Dogma of Life

• TRANSCRIPTION
– Occurs in the _______________
– Information encoded in a DNA molecule is copied into
an mRNA molecule

• TRANSLATION
– Information encoded in an __________ molecule is
used to assemble a specific _________________

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Expression of • Some genes are Exons and Introns

transcribed in
Genes large quantities Exons Introns
because we need ✓ ________ sequences ✓ Noncoding
large amount of ✓ “expressed sequences
this protein sequences” ✓ “________________
• Some genes are sequences”
transcribed in
small quantities
because we need
only a small
amount of this
protein

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END OF LECTURE

Types of RNA Thank you for listening!

Next Lesson:
DNA Replication

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