Biochemistry

Nucleic acids

The importance

1. Carriers of activated intermediates.

2. Anabolism and catabolism of molecules
3. Structural components of co enzymes,
4. The 2nd messengers in the signal transduction pathways

The structure of nucleotides

1. The pentose sugar:

a. Carbon I- the NB id attached to it
b. The phosphate group attaches to the hydroxy group in carbon 5.
c. Has the hydroxyl group in C-3
d. When the is OH in carbon 2, then the sugar is Ribose.
e. When there is H in C-2, that is deoxyribose sugar.
2. Phosphate group- bonds between the phosphate groups, anhydride bonds (very energy rich)
while between the O, they are ester.
3. Nitrogenous bases.
a. They are planar meaning they are flat and lie on a single plane.
4. The pentose sugar and nitrogenous bases are called nucleosides.
5. They are aromatic and heterocyclic (the is presence of another atom except carbon)
6. They are divided into 2: the purines VS the pyrimidines.

Purines
Adenine and guanine Cytosine, uracil and thymine
9 membered ring 6 membered ring
Counterclockwise numbering Clockwise numbering
Nitrogen positions: 1, 3, 7,9 N- positions: 1,3
Waste product: Waste products:
Uric acid Beta- alanine
Beta- aminobutyric acid
ammonia
IUPAC names IUPAC names:
Adenine: 6- amino purine Cytosine: 4-amino-2-hydroxy pyrimidine
Guanine: 2- amino-6- hydroxy purine Uracil: 2,4- dihydroxy pyrimidine
Thymine: 2,4- dihydroxy-5- methyl
pyrimidine

4 changes!!!

Nucleosides
1. The NB’s attached to the 1st carbon of the pentose sugar forming glycosidic linkages
and a nucleoside.
2. The always attached at the position of the hydrogen bonded to the nitrogen of the
NB, therefore, on the purines they will attach at the 9th position and on the 1st
position in the pyrimidines.
 Ribose nucleosides Deoxyribose nucleosides
Adenosine Deoxyadenosine
Guanosine Deoxyguanosine
Uradine Deoxycytidine
Cytidine Deoxythymidine

Synthesis of the ribose nucleosides using the De Novo synthesis

1. Purines
a. This begins with the ribose-5 phosphate which is derived from the glucose
metabolism.
b. The amino acids: glutamine, CO2, glycine, aspartate, formate then build up
the ring
c. The is the formation of inosine monophosphate (IMP)
d. IMP can then be derived into AMP and GMP
2. Pyrimidines
a. This begins with carbamoyl phosphate formed with glutamine and CO2.
b. The carbamoyl combines with aspartate to form the orotate
c. The orotate then combines with the ribose-5 sugar to form orotidine
monophosphate
d. This can be derived to UMP then TMP

For the deoxyribose nucleotides, you need to convert the ribose sugar into deoxyribose using an
enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. The nucleotide diphosphate is reduced to a 2-
deoxyribonucleotide during the S-phase of the cell cycle.

Nucleic acids

1. DNA
a. Double helix
b. Hydrogen bonds are between the strands.
c. AT have 2 while CT have 3 bonds
d. Responsible for replication and transmitting information.
2. RNA
a. Single stranded
b. The bonds are within the strand
c. snRNA- associated ribonucleoproteins that delete the introns (splicing) in the premature
RNA.