Name: Muhammad Abdur Rehman

Class: Bs Zoology
Roll No: ZOOL51F20R019
Presented to: Sir Abdul Majid

Nucleic Acid
A Complex organic substance present in living cells especially DNA or RNA whose molecules
consist of many nucleotides linked in a long chain
Nucleic acid contains hydrogen oxygen nitrogen carbon and phosphorus
Nucleoside
Nitrogenous base + pentose sugar
Nucleotide
Nitrogenous base + pentose sugar + phosphate group

DNA
DNA is a polymer made up of monomers called nucleotide which are linked together through
covalent bond
DNA is a deoxyribonucleic acid. Its acidic nature is because of the attachment of phosphate
group. It is a hereditary material which is mostly present in the nucleus having a double helix
structure. It contains four bases Adenine Guanine Cytosine
Thymine.

Structure
Watson and Cricks purposed the model of DNA structure in 1953
According to this model DNA is composed of two polynucleotide chain. The backbone of
polynucleotide chain is made of ribose sugar.
These two stranded run anti parallel to each other.
These two strands are held together through hydrogen bonding between nitrogenous bases
Adenine makes bond with thymine while guanine makes bond with cytosine. There is a double
hydrogen bond between thymine and adenine while there is a triple hydrogen bond between
guanine and cytosine
Nucleotide backbones are linked together through phosphodiester linkage
The distance between two nucleotides is 0.34 nm.
The two strands are antiparallel by knowing the sequence of once strand we can guess the
sequence of other strand
Summary of Differences Between DNA and RNA

1. DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose, while RNA contains the sugar ribose. The
only difference between ribose and deoxyribose is that ribose has one more -OH
group than deoxyribose, which has -H attached to the second (2') carbon in the
ring.
2. DNA is a double-stranded molecule, while RNA is a single-stranded molecule.
3. DNA is stable under alkaline conditions, while RNA is not stable.
4. DNA and RNA perform different functions in humans. DNA is responsible for
storing and transferring genetic information, while RNA directly codes for amino
acids and acts as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to make proteins.
5. DNA and RNA base pairing is slightly different since DNA uses the bases
adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine; RNA uses adenine, uracil, cytosine, and
guanine. Uracil differs from thymine in that it lacks a methyl group on its ring.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DNA AND RNA

Which Came First?

There is some evidence DNA may have occurred first, but most scientists believe RNA
evolved before DNA.1 RNA has a simpler structure and is needed in order for DNA to
function. Also, RNA is found in prokaryotes, which are believed to precede eukaryotes.
RNA on its own can act as a catalyst for certain chemical reactions.

The real question is why DNA evolved if RNA existed. The most likely answer for this is
that having a double-stranded molecule helps protect the genetic code from damage. If
one strand is broken, the other strand can serve as a template for
repair. Proteins surrounding DNA also confer additional protection against enzymatic
attack.

Reference

For nucleic acid :

http://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleic_aci
d&ved=2ahUKEwiQz8uZ5fnzAhUCLewKHUdPDFYQFnoECEAQAQ&usg=A
OvVaw2-pIw494BQXwGkKgMmj8_M

For DNA AND RNA :

https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introche
m/chapter/dna-and-rna/&ved=2ahUKEwi2-
oXD5fnzAhUssKQKHflPCpkQFnoECB0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw23I60g_BUo5xO
sQbOR7EOn

For their differences :

https://www.google.com/url?
sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.technologynetworks.com/geno
mics/lists/what-are-the-key-differences-between-dna-and-rna-
296719&ved=2ahUKEwj6tNHe5fnzAhUB8rsIHTnAAM8QFnoECB8QAQ&us
g=AOvVaw2Z0pnDqRIbtm_uS71Reouk