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Unit 11 assignment A
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ASSIGNMENT TITLE :STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS
BY:
FATHI MOHAMED
SUBMITTED ON:
21/02/2023
TO:
IBIKUNLE IDOWU
WORD COUNT:11,0018
,GENETIC AND GENETIC ENGENEERING
nucleotide
polymer is a large molecule consisting of repeating smaller subunits (monomer). In this case
nucleotides are the monomer. Nucleotides are chemical molecules whose molecular structure
consists of a nitrogen- containing unit linked to a sugar and a phosphate group. The nucleotides are
essential to living creatures because they are the building components of nucleic acid which control
all genetic features. A nucleotide consists of a pentose (5 carbon sugar ), a phosphate, and a
nitrogenous base ( adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine or uracil). Nucleotides are joined together by
a condensation reaction
On a fundamental, biological level, nucleotides are also essential to metabolism. They supply
chemical energy throughout the cell in the form of the nucleoside triphosphate adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), guanosine triphosphate (GTP), cytidine triphosphate (CTP), and uridine
triphosphate (UTP), which are necessary for the synthesis of amino acids, proteins, and cell
membranes as well as for moving the cell and its components (both internally and between cells),
cell division, and other cellular processes. Nucleotides are also key cofactors in enzyme activities
and take role in cell signaling (cyclic guanosine monophosphate, or cGMP, and cyclic adenosine
monophosphate, or cAMP).
Nucleotide examples
Adenine
, Adenine is a purine, which is one of two nitrogenous base families. Purines are made up of two rings.
Adenine forms a bond with thymine in DNA. Adenine forms a bond with uracil in RNA. Adenosine
triphosphate employs the nucleotide adenine as a base. Three phosphate groups can then be
attached. This allows for a significant amount of energy to be stored in the bonds. Because the
sugar- phosphate backbone is so strong, the bonds in ATP are as well. It can be transferred to other
reactions and molecules when combines with special enzymes that have formed to release the
energy.
Guanine
Guanine, like adenine, is a purine nucleotide with a double ring. It forms cytosine bonds in both DNA
and RNA. Guanine binds to cytosine via three hydrogen bonds. The cytosine- guanine bond is thus
slightly stronger than the thymine-adenine bond, which forms only two hydrogen bonds.
Cytosine
The other type of nucleotide is pyrimidine. Cytosine is a pyrimidine nucleotide with a single ring
structure. In both DNA and RNA, cytosine forms bonds with guanine. Together with the nucleotide
guanine, they form a strong pair.
Thymine
Thymine is pyrimidine nucleotide with a single ring. DNA, it forms a bond with adenine. RNA does not
contain thymine. it only forms two hydrogen bonds with adenine in DNA, making them weaker pair.
uracil
uracil is a pyrimidine as well, uracil is substituted for thymine during the transcription process from
DNA to RNA. The reason for this is not entirely understood though uracil has advantages and
disadvantages. Because uracil is short-lived and can degrade into cytosine, most creatures do not
use it in their DNA. However, because RNA is a short lives molecule, uracil is the preferred
nucleotide
Nitrogenous base
The main component of the nucleotide structure that carries information is the nitrogenous base.
Varied exposed functional groups on these molecules provide them different interactions with other
molecules. Only a specific nucleotide can interact with another due to the nucleotide's structure. If
there are no errors, this information causes a twist in the structure and is smooth. Proteins can bind
to uneven spots within the structure, which allows them to repair damaged DNA. When hydrogen
bonding between opposing nucleotide molecules fails, uneven spots form. The protein will remove
one nucleotide and substitute another. Because the genetic strands are duplicated, errors like this
can be corrected with high precision.
Sugar
The sugar is the nucleotide's second component. The sugar remains constant regardless of the
nucleotide. The distinction is between DNA and RNA. The 5-carbon sugar in DNA is deoxyribose,
whereas the 5-carbon sugar in RNA is ribose. This is how genetic molecules get their names: DNA is
deoxyribonucleic acid, and RNA is ribonucleic acid. With its exposed oxygen, the sugar can form a
bond with the phosphate group of the next molecule. They then join together to form the sugar-
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