DNA - RNA

Dra Sri Mustaina, MKes.

2010

21 September

Structure of The Nucleic Acid

Molecule size > protein
Synthesized at : cell nuclei; mitochondria; plastid
Nucleic Acid is polymers of Nucleotides :
DNA & RNA

Each nucleotide consist of :

1. Pentose sugar
Ribose sugar
Deoxyribose sugar
2. Nitrogenous base
Purine
Pyrimidine
3. Phosphate.
Function : as genetic material

RNA
DNA

Organization of Human DNA

Size of DNA molecules :
haploid cells : 3,0 x 109 base pairs
1 chromosome 7 cm in length
total length ( 46 chromosomes) 1,7 m.
Function :
As Genetic Material
1. Able to replicate
2. Able to encode the sequence of protein
3. Able to change in a controlled way

Packing of DNA in cells

- DNA interacts with basic proteins known as histones

- Histones arginine and lysine
- Five classes of histones : H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4
H2A
H2B
Ellipsoid
H3
H4
- Other types of proteins are also associated with DNA
- Nucleosomes :
* bead-like structures of DNA
* DNA coils around the surface of the
ellipsoid
* Complex of histones plus DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid ( DNA )

Nucleotide Structure :
Deoxyribose Sugar
Nitrogenous Base :
Purine

: - Adenine & Guanine

Pyrimidine : - Cytosine & Thymine

Phosphate

Nucleotides of DNA

Bases Pairing
By Hidrogen Bond

Purines - Pyrimidines

Adenine Thymine
Guanine Cytosine

Characteristic of DNA
- Denature : The two strands of the DNA helix separate or denature
* Alkali
* Heat
OH-_

OH-_

DNA

DNA

RNA

DNA

Effect of alkali on DNA and RNA. :

- DNA strands stay intact, but separate.
- RNA strands are degraded to nucleotides.

RNA

Characteristic of DNA

- Renaturation (reannealing) :
temperature slowly
re-forming a double helix, identical to
the original DNA.

Heat
Cool

ry
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Pr meric
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of
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The Secondary Structure of DNA

THE DOUBLE HELIX
1. Two antiparallel strands form a right-handed helix
2. Complementary base pairing

ways of representing DNA :

(a) showing polarity and base pairing but no helical twist;
(b) showing helical twist and helix parameters but not base pairs;

(a )

(b)

ways of representing DNA :

(c) showing helix and base pairs;
(d) space-filling representation showing major and minor grooves.

Twist

A double helix

Z, B, and A forms of DNA. The

solid black lines connect one
phosphate group to the next.

Two DNA strand twisted to form a double helix

DNA helix

DNA Replication
prepared genetic material to reproduction / cell division

Replication rate
- The eukaryotic replication rate is about 10 times slower
than the prokaryotic replication rate.
- 8 hours to replicate the human genome
semi conservative mechanism
bidirectional,
direction of DNA synthesize : 5 3
start at many Origin of Replication (ORI)

Semi conservative

Synthesis always goes from 5 to 3

Schematic representation of
the addition of a nucleotide to
a growing strand of DNA
during replication.

Phosphate O CH2

Base
O

4
H
1
H

H
3
OH

Next nucleotide
will joined here

2
H

Bi-directional

4 Stages in Replication Process

1. Unwind (membuka) the helix :
- Topoisomerase
- With the aid of DNA gyrase
- Helicase
- SSBP
2. DNA is replicated by DNA
Polymerase
- Primase
- DNA Polymerase III
- Leading and Lagging Strand
- Okazaki Fragment
3. Removal the RNA primer
- DNA Polymerase I
4. Joint the fragment
- DNA lygase

Emzymes required
on DNA replication
1. Topoisomerase : initiation of unwinding of DNA
2 Helicase : accomplishes unwinding original double strand
DNA
3. Single-stranded binding protein : stabilized single strand
DNA as templates to RNA primase and DNA pol.
4. Primase : to attaches a small RNA primer
5.DNA Polymerase : proceed along single-stranded molecule
of DNA
6. Ligase : organize and catalyze formation phosphodiester
bond on the 3 end.

Structure of RNA
Single stranded
RNA nucleotides consist of:
1. Ribose (a pentose = sugar with 5
carbons)
2. Phosphate group
3. Organic (nitrogenous) bases:
- Pyrimidines (Cytosine and Uracil)
- Purines (Adenine and Guanine)
RNA is transcribed from DNA by enzymes called
RNA polymerases and is generally further processed by
other enzymes. RNA is central to the synthesis of

RNA - Function
- Information storage and transport
(mRNA, viral RNA)
- Info transfer

(tRNA)

- Catalysis -ribozymes
- Ribosome Regulation - Plasmid copy #

RNA Codons
Start codon :
Stop codon :

AUG
UAA, UAG and UGA

4 kinds of RNA, made by cell

mRNA = messenger RNA
is a copy of a gene, carry the information stored
in DNA nucleus to cytoplasm (translation machine)
tRNA = transfer RNA
as an adaptor to carry aa to appropriate place as
coded by mRNA
rRNA = ribosomal RNA
structural component of ribosomes
snRNA= small nuclear RNA
involve in the machinery that process RNAs
between nucleus and cytoplasm

Difference between
DNA-RNA

80% of RNA in a cell is rRNA,

15% tRNA, 5% mRNA
mRNA has a 7-methylguanosine cap at its
end and a poly-A tail at its 3' end

5'

tRNA forms intrastrand loops containing "strange"

nucleotide variants
tRNA always has a 3'-CCA where amino acids are
attached
the anticodon loop of tRNA binds to the codon of
mRNA within the ribosome introns are removed
from the primary RNA transcript (hnRNA), while
the exons remain to make up the mRNA

DNA repair

Mismatch
repair

Base excision
repair

Nucleotide excision
repair

Double-strand break
repair