ADV.

BIOLOGY Q2 | Jeinel Barrera

Nucleic Acids
NUCLEIC ACIDS NUCLEIC ACIDS IN FOOD

Foods containing high levels of purines

o Friedrich Miescher (German)
usually also contain high levels of
discovered Nucleic Acid in 1868
nucleic acids.
from the nuclie of WBC. He called it
NUCLEIN. o fish, liver, eggs, beans, asparagus,
mushrooms
o Nucleic acids are important for the
storage and expression of genetic High RNA foods include:
information. o chlorella, spirulina, and nutritional
yeasts
o They are composed of CHON +
Phosphorus.

o The monomers or building blocks of

nucleic acids are the NUCLEOTIDES. STRUCTURE OF NUCLEOTIDE
One deoxyribose together with its
phosphate and base make a
A NUCLEOTIDE IS COMPOSED OF
NUCLEOTIDE.
1. a pentose (5C) sugar
2. a nitrogenous base
3. a phosphate group

NOTE: If phosphate is absent, the

molecule is called NUCLEOSIDE (sugar +
nitrogenous base only)

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF NUCLEIC

ACID

o Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

o Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
 ADV. BIOLOGY Q2 | Jeinel Barrera

This study suggested that DNA was

probably the genetic material.

GRIFFITH EXPERIMENT

WHY DO WE STUDY DNA?

CHROMOSOMES are made of both DNA
We study DNA for many reasons: and protein.

o its central importance to all life on Experiments on BACTERIOPHAGE (virus

Earth. that attacks bacteria) by Hershey &
o medical benefits such as cures for Chase proved that DNA was the cell’s
diseases. genetic material.
o better food crops.

Radioactive 32P was

HISTORY OF DNA injected into bacteria.
Early scientists thought protein was
the cell’s hereditary material because it
was more complex than DNA.

Proteins were composed of 20 different

amino acids in long polypeptide chains. DNA STRUCTURE

ROSALIND FRANKLIN took diffraction x-

TRANSFORMATION ray photographs (photo 51) of DNA
crystals.
FRED GRIFFITH worked with virulent S
and nonvirulent R strain Pneumoccocus In 1953, WATSON & CRICK built the first
bacteria. model of DNA (DNA HELIX STRUCTURE)
using Franklin’s x-rays.
He found that R strain could become
virulent when it took in DNA from
heat-killed S strain.
 ADV. BIOLOGY Q2 | Jeinel Barrera

ROSALIND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DNA AND RNA

FRANKLIN
DNA RNA
Bases A, G, C, T A, G, C, U
Strand Double Single
Stranded Stranded
Structure Antiparallel Hairpin and
Helix loops
Location Nuclear or Nuclear or
mitochondrial cytoplasmic
Lifetime Long Short
JAMES WATSON
Process Transcription Translation
AND FRANCIS
Types Nuclear DNA, Mrna, Trna,
CRICK mtDNA Rrna, miRNA,
siRNA,
ribozyme

DNA
CHROMOSOMES AND DNA
o DNA is often called the BLUEPRINT
OF LIFE. Chromosomes are threadlike structures
of nucleic acids and proteins found
o In simple terms, inside the nucleus. Chromosomes are
DNA contains the the CARRIERS OF GENES.
instructions for
making proteins
within the cell. Genes are made
up of a chemical
called DNA. Genes
RNA are the CARRIERS
OF TRAITS.
o It acts as a MESSENGER CARRYING
instructions from DNA for
controlling the
synthesis of
proteins. DNA IS A DOUBLE HELIX MOLECULE

o The DNA DOUBLE

o RNA is single
HELIX has two
stranded.
strands twisted
together.
o DNA and RNA are
located in the
nuclei of cells.
 ADV. BIOLOGY Q2 | Jeinel Barrera

ONE STRAND OF DNA Erwin Chargaff showed the amounts of

the four bases on DNA ( A,T,C,G)
o The BACKBONE of
the molecule is o In a body or somatic cell:
alternating
A = 30.3%
phosphate and
T = 30.3%
deoxyribose, a
G = 19.5%
sugar, parts.
C = 19.9%
o The teeth are
nitrogenous
QIESTION:
bases.
If there is 30% Adenine, how much
Cytosine is present?

ANS:
2 TYPES OF NITROGENOUS BASES There would be 20% Cytosine
PURINES AND PYRIMIDINES Adenine (30%) = Thymine (30%)
Guanine (20%) = Cytosine (20%)
Therefore, 60% A-T and 40% C-G

BASE PAIRING IN DNA

(FOLLOWING CHARGAFF’S RULE)

Adenine and Thymine always join

together. A -- T

Cytosine and Guanine always join

together. C -- G

Chargaff ’s Rule of Base Pairing

o Formulated by ERWIN CHARGAFF HYDROGEN BONDS
When making hydrogen bonds, cytosine
o it states that “DNA from any
always pairs up with guanine,
species of any organism should have
a 1:1 ratio of pyrimidine and purine And adenine
bases and, more specifically, that always pairs
the amount of guanine should be up with
equal to cytosine and the amount of thymine.
adenine should be equal to
thymine”. This pattern is found in
both strands of the DNA
 ADV. BIOLOGY Q2 | Jeinel Barrera

Two hydrogen ANTIPARALLEL DNA STRANDS

bonds are
required to Shows the connection of the phosphate
bond Adenine & group to the carbon of the pentose
Thymine sugar.

o One strand of DNA goes from 5’ to 3’

(sugars)
Three hydrogen
bonds required o The other strand is opposite in
to bond direction going 3’ to 5’ (sugars)
Guanine &
Cytosine

MEASUREMENT OF DNA HELIX

The diameter of DNA helix is 2nm or 20
Å (Angstrom)

The distance
between 2 base
pairs is 0.34nm or
3.4 Å)

The length of 1
complete spiral
(forming #8) is
3.4nm or 34Å. 1
complete spiral
contains an
average of 10
base pairs.