Nucleic Acid

Nucleic Acid

 Nucleotide – sugar , base, and phosphate

 Nucleoside – sugar and base
 Backbone – sugar and phosphate
 Nucleic acid – is a chain of nucleotide
Bases

 Purine –    Adenine, Guanine

 Pyrimidine – Thymine, uracil, Cytosine
Complementary Base Pairs:
Adenine – Thymine (2 H-bonding)
Uracil – Adenine (2 H-bonding)
Guanine – Cytosine (3 H-bonding) Complementary DNA Strands

8 nucleotide found in DNA & RNA

DNA molecule - a misnomer

 Its not neutral, it’s a multicharge ionic matter

 The interaction is not covalent but rather a
noncovalent form due to H-bonding.

DNA Replication
Primary Structure of the Nucleic Acid
 Unwinds by the enzyme DNA helicase
 The original strand serve as a template
 The pairing occurs one nucleotide at a time
 DNA polymerase checks if the pairing is
correct, responsible in forming the daughter
strand, the direction is always 5’ to 3’
(leading strand) in forming the daughter
strand

 The 3’ to 5’    (lagging strand) direction forms

Okasaki fragments    (nicks) and connected
by DNA ligase                              Reiji Okasaki

 The unwinding can occur in any part of the

DNA strand - bubbles
Protein Synthesis