Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids Quiz

A molecule composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group. They are the building blocks of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.

A molecule composed of a nitrogenous base and a pentose sugar. They are the building blocks of nucleotides, but they lack the phosphate group.

Organic molecule containing nitrogen. It's a key component of nucleotides, which in turn form DNA and RNA. There are two main types: purines and pyrimidines.

A nucleic acid is a polymer made up of chains of nucleotides linked together by phosphodiester bonds. DNA and RNA are important examples.

Adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine (DNA only), and uracil (RNA only) are the five primary nitrogenous bases that make up DNA and RNA.

The process by which the two strands of a DNA molecule separate due to factors like heat, pH changes or certain chemicals.

The process where two complementary single strands of DNA associate to form a stable double helix structure.

A change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA. These can be spontaneous or induced by mutagens.

The bond is formed to the anomeric carbon of the sugar in the (\beta) configuration. The bond is formed to position N1 in pyrimidines and N9 in purines. This bond is stable towards hydrolysis, particularly in pyrimidines, and is cleaved by acid.

The torsion angle about the N-glycosidic bond (N-C1') is denoted by the symbol (\chi). The atoms involved in defining this angle are O4'-C1'-N9-C4 for purines, and O4'-C1'-N1-C2 for pyrimidines.

A conformation around the N-Glycosidic bond where the angle is close to 0 degrees. In this conformation the base is near the sugar.

A conformation around the N-Glycosidic bond where the angle is close to 180 degrees. In this conformation the base is far from the sugar.

The anti conformation is the most common conformation found in B-DNA.

The nucleotides in DNA are made of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of the four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), or thymine (T).

The nucleotides in RNA made of a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of the four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), or uracil (U).

Covalent bonds formed between nucleotides in a polynucleotide chain. These bonds are formed between the 5' phosphate group of one nucleotide and the 3' hydroxyl group of the next nucleotide. The result is a negatively charged backbone.

RNA is a linear polymer of nucleotides with a ribose sugar. It is unstable and can be broken down by enzymes called RNases.

RNase enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of RNA by breaking its phosphodiester bonds. They play vital roles in cellular processes and defense against viral infections.

S-RNase is a type of RNase found in plants that prevents self-fertilization by degrading pollen RNA.

RNase P is a ribozyme, an enzyme made of RNA, involved in the processing of tRNA precursors. It removes unnecessary sequences to create mature tRNA.

The enzyme Dicer cleaves double-stranded RNA into smaller oligonucleotides, which are then used in RNA interference and antiviral defense.

RNA hydrolysis is accelerated by base catalysis, a chemical reaction that uses hydroxide ions to break the phosphodiester bonds in the RNA backbone.

Two bases can bind together through hydrogen bonds, forming a base pair. This base pairing is critical for the structure of DNA and RNA.

In double-stranded DNA, the bases adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T), while guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C).

The discovery of DNA's double helix structure revolutionized biology, revealing the molecular basis of inheritance and paving the way for modern biotechnology.

Friedrich Miescher, in 1868, was the first to isolate “nuclein,” a substance later identified as DNA, from cell nuclei. This marked the beginning of understanding the chemical composition of DNA.

The two strands of DNA run in opposite directions, with one strand oriented 5' to 3' and the other 3' to 5'.

Each DNA strand acts as a template for the synthesis of a new complementary strand. This results in two DNA molecules, each with one original strand (parent strand) and one newly synthesized strand (daughter strand).

DNA polymerases are enzymes responsible for catalyzing the synthesis of new DNA strands during replication. They read the template strand and add complementary nucleotides to the growing new strand.

Palindromic sequences are DNA segments that read the same forward and backward on both strands. These sequences can form hairpins and cruciforms due to complementary base pairing within the same strand.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a type of RNA molecule that carries genetic information from DNA to ribosomes, where proteins are synthesized. It plays a crucial role in protein synthesis.

Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules are responsible for bringing the correct amino acid to the ribosome based on the mRNA code during protein synthesis. They have complex structures and act as adaptors in the translation process.

DNA denaturation is the process where the double helix structure of DNA is disrupted, causing the two strands to separate. This can be caused by factors like heat, pH changes, or certain chemicals.

The melting temperature (Tm) of DNA is the temperature at which half of the DNA molecules are denatured. It is influenced by factors like base composition (high CG content increases Tm), DNA length (longer DNA has higher Tm), and environmental conditions (high salt increases Tm).

DNA denaturation is reversible, and the separated strands can re-associate (anneal) to form a double helix again when conditions are favorable. This is a crucial process in techniques like PCR.

Hybridization of DNA involves the pairing of two near-complementary DNA strands, even if they are not perfectly matched. This technique is used in various applications, including DNA detection, amplification, and evolutionary studies.