General Biology 1

NUCLEIC ACIDS:
Information Molecules
Prepared by:

RYAN S. CUTAMORA
Teacher III
Carmona Senior High School
Learning Objectives
At the end of the discussion, students should be able to:
1. describe the structure of nucleotides;
2. compare and contrast the structures of Deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA);
3. explain the functions of DNA and RNA; and
4. recognize other nucleotides involved in energy
metabolism.
Introduction
• The biochemical activity of a cell depends on production of
a large number of proteins, each with a specific sequence.
• The information necessary to produce the correct proteins
is passed through generations of organisms even though
the protein molecules.
• Nucleic acids carry information inside cells. There are two
main varieties of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid and
ribonucleic acid.
• DNA encodes the genetic information used to assemble
proteins similar to the way the letters encode information.
• Unique among macromolecules, nucleic acids are able to
serve as templates to produce precise copies of
themselves. This characteristic allows genetic information
to be preserved during cell division and during
reproduction of organisms.
• DNA, found primarily in the nuclear region of cells, contain
genetic information necessary to build specific organisms.
• Cells use a type of RNA called messenger RNA (mRNA) to
direct the synthesis of proteins. mRNA consists of
transcribed single stranded copies of portions of the DNA.
• These transcripts serve as blueprints specifying the amino
acid sequences o proteins.
Nucleic Acids Are Nucleotide Polymers
• Nucleic acids are long polymers of repeating subunits
called nucleotides.
• Each nucleotide consists of three components: pentose /5-
C sugar(deoxyribose or ribose), phosphate group (-PO4)
and nitrogenous base.
• When a nucleic acid polymer forms, the phosphate group
of one nucleotide binds to the hydroxyl group from the
pentose sugar of another releasing water and forming
phosphodiester bonds by a dehydration reaction.
• Nucleic acid is simply a chain of five carbon sugars linked
together by phosphodiester bonds with a nitrogenous base
protruding from each sugar.
• These chains of nucleotides (polynucleotides) have different
ends: a phosphate on one end and an –OH from a sugar on
the other end.
• We conventionally refer to these ends as 5’ (-PO4) and 3’ (-
OH) taken from the carbon numbering of the sugar.
• Two types of nitrogenous bases occur in nucleotides.
Dna Carries the Genetic Code
• Organisms use sequences of nucleotides in DNA to encode
the information specifying the amino acid sequences of
their proteins.
• Code of DNA molecule consists of different combinations
of the 4 types of nucleotides in specific sequences.
• DNA molecules exist not as single chains folded into
complex shapes like proteins but rather as two chains
wrapped about each other in a long linear molecules in
eukaryotes and a circular molecules in most prokaryotes.
• The two strands of a DNA polymer wind around each other
like the outside and inside rails of a staircase. Such spiral
shape is called helix and a helix composed of two chains is
called a double helix.
• Each of the DNA’s helical staircase is composed of a base-
pair. The pair consists of a base in one chain attracted by H-
bonds to a base opposite it on the other chain.
• The base-pairing rules are rigid. The bases that participate
in base-pairing are said to be complementary to each other.
RNA is a Transcript of a DNA Strand
• RNA is similar to DNA but with two major chemical
differences. First, RNA molecules contain ribose sugars in
which the C-2 is bonded to a –OH. Second, RNA molecule
use uracil in place of thymine. Uracil has the same structure
as thymine except that one of its carbons lacks a methyl (-
CH3) group.
• Transcribing the DNA message into a chemically different
molecule such as RNA allows the cell to distinguish between
the original information-storage molecule and the transcript.
• DNA molecules are always double-stranded (except for a
few single-stranded DNA viruses) whereas the RNA
molecules transcribed from DNA are typically single-
stranded. These differences allow DNA to store hereditary
information and RNA to use this information to specify the
sequence of amino acids in proteins.
Other Nucleotides are Vital Components of energy Reactions

• In addition to serving as subunits of DNA and RNA,

nucleotide bases play other critical roles in the life of a cell.
• For example adenine is a key component of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) – the energy currency of cell. Cells use
ATP as energy in a variety of transactions.
• Two other important nucleotide-containing molecules are
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and flavin
adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These molecules function as
electron carriers in a variety of cellular processes.