Nucleic Acids

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 Each cell of our bodies contains thousands of different
protein molecules.
That all of these molecules are made up of the same 20
amino acids, just arranged in different sequences
After scientists became aware of the differences in amino
acid sequences, their next quest was to determine how
cells know which proteins to synthesize out of the
extremely large number of possible amino acid sequences.
The answer is that an individual gets the information from
its parents through heredity. Heredity is the transfer of
characteristics, anatomical as ……

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 HEREDITY
Heredity is the transfer of characteristics, anatomical
as well as biochemical, from generation to generation.
We all know that a pig gives birth to a pig and a mouse
gives birth to a mouse

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 From about the end of the nineteenth century,
biologists suspected that the transmission of hereditary
information from one generation to another took place
in the nucleus of the cell.
Chemical analysis of nuclei showed that they are
largely made up of special basic proteins called
histones and a type of compound called nucleic acids.
By 1940, it became clear through the work of Oswald
Avery (1877–1955) that, of all the material in the
nucleus, only a nucleic acid called deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) carries the hereditary information.

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 Other work in the 1940s by George Beadle (1903–
1989) and Edward Tatum (1909–1975) demonstrated
that each gene controls the manufacture of one protein,
and that external and internal characteristics are
expressed through this gene.
Thus the expression of the gene (DNA) in terms of an
enzyme (protein) led to the study of protein synthesis
and its control.
The information that tells the cell which proteins to
manufacture is carried in the molecules of DNA.

AP Biology
 What are Nucleic Acids made of?
Function:
store & transmit genetic information
Examples:
RNA (ribonucleic acid) (rRNA, mRNA, tRNA)
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
 Supplies energy for synthetic reactions and for other energy-
requiring processes in cells
Structure:
monomers = nucleotides
Polymers = polynucleotides (DNA, RNA)

AP Biology
 Nucleotides
3 parts
nitrogen base (C-N ring)
pentose sugar (5C)
 ribose in RNA
 deoxyribose in DNA
phosphate (PO4) group

AP Biology
 Both DNA and RNA are polymers.
The building blocks (monomers) of nucleic acid chains
are nucleotides.
Nucleotides themselves, however, are composed of
three simpler units:
a base,
 a monosaccharide,
and a phosphate

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 RNA & DNA
RNA
single nucleotide chain
DNA
double nucleotide chain
 N bases bond in pairs
across chains
spiraled in a double helix

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 Bases
Purines and pyrimidines, which are components of
nucleotides, DNA, and RNA
The pyrimidine bases are linked to C-1 of the
monosaccharide through their N-1 by a b-N-glycosidic
bond

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 Sugars
The sugar component of RNA is D-ribose
In DNA, it is 2-deoxy-D-ribose (hence the name
deoxyribonucleic acid).
The combination of sugar and base is known as a
nucleoside. The purine bases are linked to C-1 of the
monosaccharide through N-9 (the nitrogen at position
9 of the five-membered ring) by a b-N-glycosidic bond

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 Phosphate
The third component of nucleic acids is phosphoric
acid. When this group forms a phosphate ester bond
with nucleoside, the result is a compound known as a
nucleotide.

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 Building the polymer

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 Nucleic polymer
Backbone
sugar to PO4 bond
 new base added to sugar of previous base
 polymer grows in one direction
N bases hang off the
sugar-phosphate backbone

Dangling bases?
Why is this important?

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 DNA molecule
Double helix
H bonds between bases join the 2 strands
Adenine:: Thymine
(A-T)
Cytosine:: Guanine
(C-G)

RNA
o A-U (Uracil)
o G-C

AP Biology
 Information polymer
Function
series of bases encodes information
 like the letters of a book
stored information is passed
from parent to offspring
 need to copy accurately
stored information = genes
 genetic information

Passing on information?
Why is this important?

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 T
G A
T C
C A
A G
G
A
AP Biology T
C
 ATP
Adenosine triphosphate
Adenosine
 Composed of adenine and ribose
Triphosphate
 3 phosphate groups attached to
each other and the ribose
 ATP = High energy molecule
-supplies energy for muscle contraction and
nerve impulses
 ADP = Lower energy molecule (diphosphate)

+ +

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 Macromolecules
Review

2006-2007
AP Biology
 Carbohydrates
Structure / monomer
monosaccharide
Function
energy
raw materials
energy storage
structural compounds glycosidic bond
Examples
glucose, starch, cellulose, glycogen

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 Lipids
Structure
triglycerides, steroids, phospholipids, waxes
Function
energy storage
membranes
Sex Hormones
Insulation/protection

Examples
Saturated & unsaturated fat, steroids, waxes, phospholipids

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 Proteins
Structure / monomer
amino acids
levels of structure
 Primary
 Secondary
 Tertiery
 Quaternary
Function peptide bond
enzymes  defense
transport  structure
signals  receptors
Examples
digestive enzymes, membrane channels, insulin hormone,
actin and myosin, antibodies, collagen
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 Nucleic acids
Structure / monomer
nucleotide
Function
information storage
& transfer
Examples
DNA, RNA

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