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Topic:
 Nucleic acids
 Structure and function of nucleic acid
 Significance of nucleic acid
 Synthesis of oligo nucleotide and hydrolysis
 Isolation and separation of DNA
 Recombinant DNA technology
NUCLEIC ACID
Definition:
Nucleic acids are the biopolymer, essential to all known forms of life.
The term nucleic acid is the overall name for DNA and RNA. They are
composed of nucleotides which are the monomers made of three
components: a 5-carbon sugar a phosphate group and a nitrogenous
base. If the sugar is a compound ribose, the polymer is RNA (ribonucleic
acid); if the sugar is derived from ribose as deoxyribose, the polymer
is DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid).
Things to know :
 Occurrence of nucleic acid
 What is nucleotide
 What is purines and pyrimidines

 Function of nucleic acid
 Structure of nucleic acid
 Chemical composition of nucleic acid
Explanation:
Nucleic acid, naturally occurring chemical compound that is capable
of being broken down to yield phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture
of organic bases (purines and pyrimidines). Nucleic acids are the
main information-carrying molecules of the cell, and, by directing the
process of protein synthesis, they determine the inherited
characteristics of every living thing.
Chemical composition of nucleic acid DNA:

 DNA has three types of chemical component: phosphate, a sugar
called deoxyribose, and four nitrogenous bases—
adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Two of the bases,
adenine and guanine, have a double-ring structure characteristic
of a type of chemical called a purine. The other two bases,
cytosine and thymine, have a single-ring structure of a type called
a pyrimidine. The chemical components of DNA are arranged into
groups called nucleotides, each composed of a phosphate group,
a deoxyribose sugar molecule, and any one of the four bases. It is
convenient to refer to each nucleotide by the first letter of the
name of its base: A, G, C .and T.
Phospho diesterbond:
DNA is composed of two side-by-side chains (“strands”) of
nucleotides twisted into the shape of a double helix. The
two nucleotide strands are held together by weak associations
between the bases of each strand, forming a structure like a spiral
staircase. The backbone of each strand is a repeating phosphate–
deoxyribose sugar polymer. The sugar-phosphate bonds in this
backbone are called phosphodiester bonds. The attachment of the
phosphodiester bonds to the sugar groups is important in describing
the way in which a nucleotide chain is organized. Note that the
carbons of the sugar groups are numbered 1′ through 5′. One part of
the phosphodiester bond is between the phosphate and the 5′
carbon of deoxyribose, and the other is between the phosphate and
the 3′ carbon of deoxyribose
Diagrammatical representation of
phosphodiesterbond
What are purine and pyrimidines?

Purines are doubled ring bases adenine and guanine pyrimidines are
single stranded bases thymine and cytosine.
Function of nucleic acids :
 DNA -the chemical basis of heredity –
 carries the genetic information
 found in chromosomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts
 DNA is organized into genes - fundamental units of genetic

information.
 Knowledge of the structure and function of nucleic acids is

essential in understanding genetics and the genetic basis of
disease.
Chargaff’s rule
Erwin Chargaff is biochemist (1905 - 2002) quantitatively
analyzed DNA from different species
 He found some crucial rule present in the DNA. He got Nobel Prize
for this at 1950 – 1954. Chargaff’s rule Edwin Chargaff’s
 Purine = Pyrimidines Single stranded DNA & RNAs do not obey

rule Double stranded DNA & RNA (in some viruses) satisfies
Chargaff’s rule.
STRUCTURE OF DNA:
Watson and crick model of DNA:
 J.D.Watson and F.H.C. Crick (1953) combined the physical and
chemical data, and proposed a double helix model for DNA
molecule. This model is widely accepted. According to this model,
the DNA molecule consists of two strands which are connected
together by hydrogen bonds and helically twisted.
 Each step on one strand consists of a nucleotide of purine base

which alternates with that of pyrimidine base. Thus, a strand of
DNA molecule is a polymer of four nucleotides i.e. A, G, T, C. The
two strands join together to form a double helix. Bases of two
nucleotides form hydrogen bonds i.e. A combines with T by two
hydrogen bonds (A = T) and G combines with C by three hydrogen
bonds (G = C) .

 However, the sequence of bonding is such that for every ATGC on
one strand there would be TACG on the other strand. Therefore,
the two chains are complementary to each other i.e. sequences of
nucleotides on one chain are the photocopy of sequences of
nucleotides on the other chain.
 The two strands of double helix ran in antiparallel direction i.e.

they have opposite polarity. In Fig. 5.6A the left hand strand has 5′
→ 3′ polarity, whereas the right hand has 3′ → 5′ polarity as
compared to the first one. The polarity is due to the direction of
phosphodiester linkage.
Diagrammatically representation of
structure of DNA:
Composition and structure of RNA:
RNA is typically single stranded and is made
of ribonucleotides that are linked by phosphodiester bonds. A
ribonucleotide in the RNA chain contains ribose (the pentose
sugar), one of the four nitrogenous bases (A, U, G, and C), and a
phosphate group. The subtle structural difference between the
sugars gives DNA added stability, making DNA more suitable for
storage of genetic information, whereas the relative instability of
RNA makes it more suitable for its more short-term functions. The
RNA-specific pyrimidine uracil forms a complementary base pair
with adenine and is used instead of the thymine used in DNA.
Even though RNA is single stranded, most types of RNA
molecules show extensive intramolecular base pairing between
complementary sequences within the RNA strand, creating a
predictable three-dimensional structure essential for their function.
Differences between DNA and RNA:

 DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose, while RNA contains the
sugar ribose. The only difference between ribose and
deoxyribose is that ribose has one more -OH group than
deoxyribose, which has -H attached to the second (2') carbon in
the ring.
 DNA is a double-stranded molecule while RNA is a single

stranded molecule.
 DNA is stable under alkaline conditions while RNA is not stable.
 DNA and RNA perform different functions in humans. DNA is

responsible for storing and transferring genetic
information while RNA directly codes for amino acids and as
acts as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to make
proteins.
 DNA and RNA base pairing is slightly different since DNA uses
the bases adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine; RNA uses
adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine. Uracil differs from
thymine in that it lacks a methyl group on its ring.
 Types of RNA:
 There are 4 types of RNA, each encoded by its own type of
gene:
 mRNA - Messenger RNA: Encodes amino acid sequence of a

polypeptide.
 tRNA - Transfer RNA: Brings amino acids to ribosomes during

translation.
 rRNA - Ribosomal RNA: With ribosomal proteins, makes up the

ribosomes, the organelles that translate the mRNA.
 snRNA - Small nuclear RNA: With proteins, forms complexes

that are used in RNA processing in eukaryotes. (Not found in
prokaryotes.)

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Topic:

 Structure and function of nucleic acid

 Significance of nucleic acid

 Synthesis of oligo nucleotide and hydrolysis

 Isolation and separation of DNA

 Recombinant DNA technology

 What is purines and pyrimidines

 Structure of nucleic acid

 Chemical composition of nucleic acid

Chemical composition of nucleic acid DNA:

What are purine and pyrimidines?

 DNA -the chemical basis of heredity –

 carries the genetic information

 found in chromosomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts

 DNA is organized into genes - fundamental units of genetic

 Knowledge of the structure and function of nucleic acids is

 Purine = Pyrimidines Single stranded DNA & RNAs do not obey

 Each step on one strand consists of a nucleotide of purine base

 The two strands of double helix ran in antiparallel direction i.e.

Differences between DNA and RNA:

 DNA is a double-stranded molecule while RNA is a single

 DNA is stable under alkaline conditions while RNA is not stable.

 DNA and RNA perform different functions in humans. DNA is

 mRNA - Messenger RNA: Encodes amino acid sequence of a

 tRNA - Transfer RNA: Brings amino acids to ribosomes during

 rRNA - Ribosomal RNA: With ribosomal proteins, makes up the

 snRNA - Small nuclear RNA: With proteins, forms complexes

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