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Chemistry of Nucleic Acids

Lecture No. 5
Nucleoproteins
• Nucleoproteins are conjugated roteins
wherein the non-protein portion belong to
the class of compounds called nucleic
acids.
• The protein component of the
nucleoproteins are the simple proteins,
albumin, histones and protamines.
What are Nucleic Acids?
• Life itself began its evolution with nucleic acids,
for only they, of all biological substances, carry
the remarkable potential for self-duplication.
• Nucleic acids act as repositories and
transmitters of genetic information for every cell,
tissue and organism.
• The blueprint of an organism is encoded in its
nucleic acid.
• Much of an organism’s individual development
throughout life is programmed in these
molecules.
Chromosomes
Chromosomes
• A chromosome is a long strand of DNA that
contains certain genes. These genes are
portions of the DNA strand and carry the
genetic information of the cell.
• In an eukaryotic cell, there are multiple
chromosomes, and each of these is art of a
pair.
• Both of the chromosomes in a air contains
the genes for the same trait.
• A sequence of bases along a DNA strand that
codes for the production of a protein is
known as a gene.
44+XX
Chromosome Mapping
Parts of a Chromosome
• 1 - Chromatid
• 2 - Centromere
• 3 – Short arm
• 4 – Long arm
DNA Model
How long is the DNA?
• Each cell contains enough DNA to form a
thread extending about 2 m (about 7 feet).

• Proteins called histones play a key role in


packaging DNA within chromosomes.

• Sections of the DNA molecule wind around


clusters of histones to form bead-like
structures or units called nucleosomes,
which resemble spools encircled with thread.
Nitrogenous Bases
• Pyrimidine bases – Thymine, Cytosine,
Uracil
• Purine bases – Adenine, Guanine
Thymine/Thymidine
Cytosine/Cytidine
Uracil/Uridine
2, 4 dioxypyrimidine
Adenine/Adenosine
Deoxyadenosine
Guanine/Guanosine
Guanine/Deoxyguanosine
• 2-amino 6-oxy
purine
Pentose Sugars
Nucleotide Model
DNA Stick Model
Base pairing between 2 anti-parallel strands
Watson-Crick Base Pairing
Nitrogenous Bases
Base Pairing in RNA
Chemical Structure of RNA
Types of RNA
• mRNA – contains the genetic code
transcribed from DNA. It conveys information
in a gene to the protein synthesizing
machinery
• tRNA – acts as adaptor molecule in the
translation of the genetic code into the amino
acid component of the protein molecule
• rRNA – provides the working area for protein
synthesis
mRNA
• mRNA is synthesized from a gene
segment of DNA which ultimately contains
the information on the primary sequence
of AA in a protein to be synthesized.
• The genetic code as translated is for
mRNA not DNA.
• The mRNA carries the code into the
cytoplasm where protein synthesis occurs.
tRNA and rRNA
rRNA
• In the cytoplasm, rRNA and protein combine to
form a nucleoprotein called a ribosome. The
ribosome serves as the site and carries the
enzymes necessary for protein synthesis.
• In the graphic, one on the left, the ribosome is
shown as made of 2 sub-units, 50S and 30S.
There are about equal parts rRNA and protein.
• The far left graphic shows the complete
ribosome with 3 tRNA attached.
tRNA
tRNA
• tRNA contains about 75 nucleotides, 3 of which are
called anticodons, and 1 AA. The tRNA reads the code
and carries the AA to be incorporated into the developing
protein.
• There at least 20 different tRNA’s and 1 for each AA.
The basic structure of tRNA is shown in the left graphic.
• Part of the tRNA doubles back upon itself to form several
double helical sections.
• On one end, the AA, PHE is attached. On the opposite
end, a specific base triplet, called the anticodon, is used
to actually “read” the codons on the mRNA.
• The tRNA “reads” the mRNA codon by using its own
anticodon.
Nucleotides
A,B Z Forms of DNA
• The 2 major forms
of polynucleotide
secondary structure
are called A and B.
Both are right-hand
helices.
• Most DNA is in the
form of B form.
• Z-DNA is a left-hand
helix with alternate
purine/pyrimidine
bases.
A-DNA and B-DNA
• A-DNA or A helix is a right-hand helix
structure of nuclei acid duplexes that has a
smaller pitch and a larger diameter than
the B-DNA helix. It is the structure adopted
by RNA duplexes and RNA-DNA hybrid
molecules.

• B-DNA is a DNA duplex with a specific


right-hand helix structure. It is the usual
form of DNA duplex in vivo.
Z-DNA
• Z-DNA is a DNA duplex with a specific
left-hand helical structure.
• In vitro, it tends to be the most stable form
for DNA duplexes that have alternating
purines and pyrimidines, especially under
conditions of cytosine methylation or
negative supercoiling.
50S Ribosome Subunit

Proteins are
colored in blue,
RNA in orange.

The active site


adenine 2486 is
red
Bases of DNA Connection
The Flow of Genetic Information
(Central Dogma)
1

DNA 2 RNA 3 Proteins


4

5
DNA RNA

The 3 General Transfer of Information:


1. Replication or duplication – DNA to DNA
2. Transcription – DNA to RNA
3. Translation – RNA to proteins
Transfer of Information in Disease process:
4. RNA to RNA – occurs in tumor formation
5. RNA to DNA – occurs in viral systems
Transcription and Translation
• Transcription is the synthesis of an RNA
molecule complementary to a DNA strand; the
information encoded in the base sequence of the
DNA is thus “transcribed” into the RNA version
of the same code.
• Translation is the synthesis of a polypeptide
under the direction of the mRNA, so that the
nucleotide sequence of the mRNA is “translated”
into the AA sequence of the protein
Ribozyme (hammerhead)
• Ribozyme are
RNA molecules
that act as
enzymes.
• Ribozymes are
nonprotein
biocatalysts.
Summary
• There are 2 kinds of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA.
Each is a polypeptide, a polymer of 4 kinds of
nuceloside 5’-phosphats, connected by links between
3’ hydroxyls and 5’ phosphates.
• RNA has the sugar ribose; DNA has deoxyribose.
• Watson & Crick elucidated the double helical
structure of DNA in 1953.The structure involved
specific pairing between A and T and between G and
C. The helix is right-handed, with 10base pairs (bp)
per turn.
• The biologic functions of nucleic acids may be briefly
summarized as follows: DNA contains the genetic
information, which is transcribed into RNA. Some of
these RNA molecules act as messengers to direct
protein synthesis.
• The mRNA is translated on a particle called a
ribosome, using the genetic code, to produce
proteins.

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