Biological molecules (AQA AS Biology) PART 5 of 8 TOPICS: Nucleic

TOPI
acids

Nucleic acids:
Two types of nucleic acids needs to be known for this module and they are DNA (deoxyribose nucleic
acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). These are important information carrying molecules where DNA holds
genetic information and RNA transfers the genetic information to the ribosomes. The structures of DNA
To ensure continuity of genetic
and RNA should be known:
1. DNA double helix unwi
Phosphate group 2. Free nucleotides in the
guanine are compleme
3. DNA polymerase (an en
4. Hydrogen bonds are cr

Nitrogenous base
If the molecule is DNA the four different bases
of which it could be are adenine, thymine,
Pentose sugar (this should be not be
cytosine, and guanine. Adenine and thymine
said on the exam)
are complementary to each other and cytosine
deoxyribose sugar if it is DNA or molecules. This is beca
and guanine are complementary to each other.
ribose sugar if it is RNA
This is why there are two strands of DNA held original strand and one
together (a double helix) because of these
similarities forming hydrogen bonds.
Joining up these individual nucleic acidsIfinvolves
the molecule is RNA the four
a condensation different
reaction tobases
create phosphodiester bonds to create a sugar p
of which it could be are adenine, uracil (instead
of thymine), cytosine and guanine. The same
relationships shown by the complementary
bases in DNA are also shown by RNA however
adenine is complementary to uracil. RNA is
relatively shorter and is single stranded. This
means that the complementary bases shown by
RNA come in handy during protein synthesis
which will be covered later on which is one of
my resources.