Nucleic Acid Structure

Learning Intentions:

1. Describe the structure of nucleic acids (DNA and the different forms of RNA)
2. Explain the purpose of nucleic acids.

Nucleic acids are a group of chemicals found in cells that are important for the transmission of
inherited information. DNA is important for storing information that controls cellular activity. RNA
is involved in the ‘reading’ of the DNA information and translating it into proteins.

Nucleic Acid Structure

DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids. DNA is a double stranded polymer, consisting of many
subunits called nucleotides strung together. RNA is a single stranded polymer, consisting of many
nucleotides strung together. It is the sequence of the bases in the DNA that provides the ‘genetic
code’ for the cell.

Each nucleotide consists of 3 smaller parts:

 A sugar (DNA – deoxyribose; RNA – ribose)

 A phosphate group
 A nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, thymine or cytosine)

Chemical structure of a nucleotide Symbolic form of a nucleotide

 Adenine and guanine have double ring structures and are called purines, while cytosine and
thymine have single rings and are called pyrimidines.
 DNA Molecule
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) comprises a
double strand of nucleotides linked together.
It is shown unwound in the symbolic
representation on the left. Complementary
base pairs are linked by hydrogen bonds (A-T;
G-C).

One side of the strand is called the template

strand (this provides the instructions for
transcription during protein synthesis) and
the other side is called the coding strand
which has the same nucelotide sequence as
the mRNA except that T in DNA substitutes
for U in mRNA.

RNA Molecule

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) comprises a single strand
of nucleotides linked together.
There are 3 types of RNA which we learn
about in 2.7 (there are others but you don’t
need to know them)
 Messenger RNA (mRNA) which carries the
genetic information from DNA to the
ribosomes

 Transfer RNA (tRNA) which enables specific

amino acids to
link in the
sequence
coded on the
mRNA
molecule.

 Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) which makes up the

ribosomes which are the sites for protein
synthesis.
Check point
1. On the diagram of DNA to the right label
the following:
 Sugar
 Phosphate
 Hydrogen bonds
 Purine bases
 Pyrimidine bases

2. Explain the base pairing rule that applies in double-stranded DNA.

3. Describe the functional role of nucleotides.

4. Distinguish between the template strand and coding strand of DNA, identifying the
functional role of each.

5. Compare and contrast DNA and RNA.

6. If the amount of thymine in a cell was 28% and the amount of guanine was 22% give the
percentages of cytosine and adenine in the cell.

7. If the base sequence on the template strand of a DNA molecule is ATC GGA TCT AGC, give
the base sequence on the non-template strand.

8. Describe the role of each of the 3 RNA molecules.