Nucleic Acids & Protein Synthesis

Nucleic Acids All genetic information can be found in the form of nucleic acids. Nucleic Acids are macromolecules: DNA - deoxy-ribose nucleic acid RNA - ribonucleic acid mRNA - messenger tRNA - transfer rRNA – ribosomal

Nucleic Acids Nucleic Acids are found in the: nuclei of eukaryote cells Spiral shaped DNA Single Stranded RNA cytoplasm of prokaryote cells. Circular shaped DNA

DNA deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)  A nucleic acid composed of two polynucleotide strands wound around a central axis to form a double helix; the repository (bank) of genetic information. Nucleic acid that functions as the physical carrier of inheritance for 99% of all species.

DNA cont. In eukaryotes a protein called chromatin surrounds and protects this genetic material, forming what we have come to know as a chromosome.

DNA deoxyribose Five-carbon sugar found in nucleotides of DNA. The basic unit, the nucleotide, consists of a molecule of deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases. Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine

DNA’s SHAPE Watson and Crick 1953 developed a double helix model of DNA to show how it could carry information and be copied.

DNA cont. Erwin Chargaff’s rule of pairing of nucleotides states that the Purines pair with pyrimidines in this sequence: Adenine – Thymine Guanine – Cytosine A = T G = C The amount of Adenine will equal the amount of Thymine. Ditto for G and C!

RNA Ribose is the sugar found in RNA. RNA is the other genetic material that communicates with DNA It does the translating and replicating more RNA to create proteins. The pairing is: Adenine – Uracil Guanine – Cytosine

Geneticist Oswald Avery 1944 – determined that genes were composed of DNA. Rosalind Franklin 1952 – studied DNA using a technique called X-ray diffraction. Walter Gilbert 1977 – studied methods to reads DNA sequences. Human Genome Project 2000 – mapping of complete sequence of all human DNA is completed.