Nucleic Acids

1. Nucleic Acids The amino acid sequence of a polypeptide is programmed by genes. Genes consist of DNA, which is a polymer belonging to the class of compounds known as nucleic acids.

2. Function • Direct growth and development of every living thing by means of a chemical code. • Determine how the cell functions and what characteristics it has. • Made up of long chains of linked subunits called nucleotides. • Monomers of nucleic acids are nucleotides.

3. Nucleotide • Sugar ( deoxyribose, ribose) • Phosphate Group • Nitrogen Base : Adenine Thymine Cystosine Guanine

5. Nucleic Acids Store and Transmit Hereditary Information • The two types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). • They enable living organisms to reproduce their complex components from one generation to the next. • DNA provides directions for its own replication.

6. DNA • Deoxyribonucleic Acid • Main component of genes, the hereditary material in all cells. • Made up of Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine. • Two nucleotide chains joins together into a double helix.

8. RNA • Contains instructions for making proteins. • Made up of four nucleotides acting as counterparts to the DNA. • Consists of a single long chain of nucleotides. • Made up of Adenine, Uracil, Cytosine and Guanine.

10. A pyrimidine has a six-membered ring of carbon and nitrogenous atoms – they are cytosine, thymine, and uracil. • Purines are larger and have a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring – adenine and guanine.

11. We Can Use DNA and Proteins As Tape Measures of Evolution • Genes and their products document the hereditary background of an organism. • Since DNA molecules are passed through generations, related individuals have greater similarities in their DNA than unrelated individuals do