NUCLEIC ACID

SECTION: STEM 11-3

GROUP 3
 NUCLEIC ACID
Nucleic acid is a biopolymer, a
macromolecule, essential to all known forms of
life. They are composed of nucleotides, which
are monomers made of three components: a 5-
carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a
nitrogenous base. There are two main classes
of nucleic acids.
 NUCLEIC ACID
The basic structure of nucleic acids is
polynucleotides. A long chain of molecules
composed of a series of nearly identical
building blocks called nucleotides.
FUNCTIONS OF
NUCLEIC ACID
Storage and expression of genomic
information
Carries genetic information
Plays an important role in protein
synthesis
Responsible for heredity
 TYPES OF
NUCLEIC ACID
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) - Carries
information
RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) - Distribution of
information
STRUCTURE OF
NUCLEIC ACID
These vital macromolecules typically
consist of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen,
phosphorus, and, most importantly, carbon.
They are long-chain polymers that consist
of monomeric units called nucleotides.
STRUCTURE OF
NUCLEIC ACID
In a nucleotide, if the 5-carbon sugar
happens to be ribose, then the polymer is
ribonucleic acid, or RNA.
However, if the 5-carbon sugar is
deoxyribose, the polymer is called
deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA.
 STRUCTURE OF
NUCLEIC ACID
These nucleic acids' helical backbones are created
by the bonding of a group of nucleotides. DNA
typically has two of these backbones because it is
double-stranded, while RNA only has one because
it is single-stranded.
Phosphate group
5 carbon sugar - deoxyribose (DNA)
Nitrogenous Base - adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine
(G), thymine (T) for DNA, and uracil (U) for RNA.
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