Nucleic Acids

The structure of nucleic acid

Nucleic acid are polymers called polynucleotides
Each polynucleotides is made of monomers called nucleotides Each nucleotide consist of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate group The portion of a nucleotide without the phosphate group is called a nucleoside.
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5 end 5C 3C

Nitrogenous bases Pyrimidines NH2 N C C N H CH CH O HN C O C C CH3 HN O C N H O C CH CH

Nucleoside
O Nitrogenous base O O

N H

CH

Cytosine C

Thymine (in DNA) Uracil (in RNA) U T Purines NH2 O N HC N C N H Guanine G C C NH C NH2

5C CH2 O

O P O

5C 3C OH

O Phosphate 3C Pentose group sugar (b) Nucleotide

HC

N C C N

CH N C N H Adenine A

3 end (a) Polynucleotide, or nucleic acid

5

Pentose sugars
5

HOCH2 O
4

OH

HOCH2 O
4

OH H H
1

The components of nucleic acids

H H

H
H

3 2

3 2

OH H Deoxyribose (in DNA)

OH OH Ribose (in RNA) 3

(c) Nucleoside components

Component of nucleic acid

a) 5C pentose sugar either ribose/deoxyribose Ribose Pentose sugar in RNA Deoxyribose -Pentose sugar in DNA

Deoxyribose (in DNA) (c) Nucleoside components: sugars

Ribose (in RNA)

Component of nucleic acid

b) Nitrogenous base Ring structure containing N.
In DNA - 4 different bases A,G (double ring-

purines), C ,T (single ring-pirimidines).

In RNA A,G,C, U (replaced T).

Nucleic Acids Bases

Component of nucleic acid

c) Phosphate group (phosphoric acids) Joined by condensation to the pentose sugar gives the nucleic acids their acidic property.
Phosphate group is linked between

C3 of one pentose and C5 of the next pentose. nucleotides joined by phosphodiester bonds to form a polynucleotide strand.
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Different

Fig. 5-27ab

5' end 5'C 3'C Nucleoside Nitrogenous base 5'C

Phosphate group 5'C

3'C

Sugar (pentose)

3'C
3' end

(b) Nucleotide

(a) Polynucleotide, or nucleic acid

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Chargaffs rules
1)

The number of purine bases in DNA equals the number of pyrimidine bases (1:1 ratio). The number of adenine bases equals the number of thymine bases. Number of guanine equals the number of cytosine bases.

2)

DNA structure: Double helix structure

In 1953, James Watson & Francis

Crick deduced the double helix model of DNA structure.

I was shown Rosalind

Franklin's X-ray photograph and "Whooo! That was a helix!", and a month later, we had the structure... -James Watson, 192810

DNA structure: Double helix structure

Watson

Crick proposed that DNA is a polymer consisting of 2 polynucleotide strands.

The

2 polynucleotide strands are coiled in a right handed spiral to form a double helix.

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DNA structure: Double helix structure

The two strands are antiparallel one strand runs

5 to 3 while the other two strand runs 3 to 5.

Polynucleotide strand consist of a sequence of

nucleotide linked by phosphodiester bonds.

Phosphate molecule linked by C5 atom of one

deoxyribose sugar and to C3 atom of another deoxyribose.

(A,G purine, C,T pyrimidine).

4 different nitrogen containing bases: A, G, C & T The two polynucleotide strands are held together by

hydrogen bonding between bases in opposite strands.

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DNA structure: Double helix structure The base pairing is precise. Adenine is linked with thymine by 2 hydrogen bonds.
Cytosine is joined with guanine by 3 hydrogen bonds. Base pairs stacked 0.34 nm apart- double helix makes a complete 360oC turn for every 10 base pairs of nucleotide or 3.4 nm. Diameter of helix is 2.0 nm

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DNA structure: Double helix structure

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DNA structure: Double helix structure

The

two polynucleotide complementary.

strands

are

The sequence of bases in DNA forms the genetic

code that determines the characteristics of an organism

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RNA structure
RNA consists of a single polynucleotide

strand.

Each RNA nucleotide contains a ribose

sugar, a phosphate and one of the four nitrogenous bases - adenine, uracil, cytosine and guanine.

The thymine in DNA is replaced by uracil in

RNA.

RNA - A,G,C,U
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Types of RNA
3 main types of RNA:
a) Messenger RNA (mRNA)

MRNA molecule is made up of a single strand polynucleotide. Carries genetic code transcripted from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm where protein is synthesised.

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 b) Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is the central component of the ribosome, the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells. The function of the rRNA is to provide a mechanism for decoding mRNA into amino acids and to interact with the tRNAs

c) Transfer RNA (tRNA)

Smallest RNA molecules containing 75-80 nucleotides. Different tRNAs carry different amino acids to the ribosomes for polymerisation into polypeptide chains
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Differences between DNA and RNA

DNA a) Two strands. long RNA polynucleotide a) Shorter single polynucleotide strand.

b) Two polynucleotide strands b) No double helix is formed. coil around each other to form a double helix. c) Pentose sugar: Deoxyribose. d) Nitrogenous bases: ATGC. e) Only one type of DNA. f)DNA carries information. c) Pentose sugar: Ribose. d) Nitrogenous bases: AUGC. e) 3 types: mRNA, rRNA, tRNA. genetic f) Important in protein synthesis.

g) DNA is found mainly in g) Found mainly in cytoplasm, nucleus, small amount in small amount in nucleus. mitochondria and chloroplast.
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