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Biology for AP® Courses

3.5 Nucleic Acids

Biology for AP® Courses3.5 Nucleic Acids

Learning Objectives

In this section, you will investigate the following questions:

  • What are the two types of nucleic acid?
  • What is the structure and role of DNA?
  • What is the structure and roles of RNA?

Connection for AP® Courses

Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) comprise the fourth group of biological macromolecules and contain phosphorus (P) in addition to carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Conserved through evolution in all organisms, nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary information. As will be explored in more detail in Chapters 14-17, DNA contains the instructions for the synthesis of proteins by dictating the sequences of amino acids in polypeptides through processes known as transcription and translation. Nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides; in turn, each nucleotide consists of a pentose sugar (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), a nitrogenous base (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine or uracil), and a phosphate group. DNA carries the genetic blueprint of the cell that is passed from parent to offspring via cell division. DNA has a double-helical structure with the two strands running in opposite directions (antiparallel), connected by hydrogen bonds and complementary to each other. In DNA, purines pair with pyrimidines: adenine pairs with thymine (A-T), and cytosine pairs with guanine (C-G). In RNA, uracil replaces thymine to pair with adenine (U-A). RNA also differs from DNA in that it is single-stranded and has many forms, such as messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and transfer RNA (tRNA) that all participate in the synthesis of proteins. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the use of mRNA. The flow of genetic information is usually DNA → RNA → protein, also known as the Central Dogma of Life.

Information presented and the examples highlighted in the section support concepts and Learning Objectives outlined in Big Idea 3 and Big Idea 4 of the AP® Biology Curriculum Framework. The Learning Objectives listed in the Curriculum Framework provide a transparent foundation for the AP® Biology course, an inquiry-based laboratory experience, instructional activities, and AP® Exam questions. A Learning Objective merges required content with one or more of the seven Science Practices.

Big Idea 3 Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes.
Enduring Understanding 3.A Heritable information provides for continuity of life.
Essential Knowledge 3.A.1 DNA, and in some cases RNA, is the primary source of heritable information.
Science Practice 6.5 The student can evaluate alternative scientific explanations.
Learning Objective 3.1 The student is able to construct scientific explanations that use the structures and mechanisms of DNA and RNA to support the claim that DNA and, in some cases, that RNA are the primary sources of heritable information.
Essential Knowledge 3.A.1 DNA, and in some cases RNA, is the primary source of heritable information.
Science Practice 6.4 The student can make claims and predictions about natural phenomena based on scientific theories and models.
Learning Objective 3.6 The student can predict how a change in a specific DNA or RNA sequence can result in changes in gene expression.
Big Idea 4 Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.
Enduring Understanding 4.A Interactions within biological systems lead to complex properties.
Essential Knowledge 4.A.1 The subcomponents of biological molecules and their sequence determine the properties of that molecule.
Science Practice 7.1 The student can connect phenomena and models across spatial and temporal scales.
Learning Objective 4.1 The student is able to explain the connection between the sequence and the subcomponents of a biological polymer and its properties.
Essential Knowledge 4.A.1 The subcomponents of biological molecules and their sequence determine the properties of that molecule.
Science Practice 1.3 The student can refine representations and models of natural or man-made phenomena and systems in the domain.
Learning Objective 4.2 The student is able to refine representations and models to explain how the subcomponents of a biological polymer and their sequence determine the properties of that polymer.
Essential Knowledge 4.A.1 The subcomponents of biological molecules and their sequence determine the properties of that molecule.
Science Practice 6.1 The student can justify claims with evidence.
6.4 The student can make claims and predictions about natural phenomena based on scientific theories and models.
Learning Objective 4.3 The student is able to use models to predict and justify that changes in the subcomponents of a biological polymer affect the functionality of the molecules.

Teacher Support

Use Table 3.2 to illustrate the major differences between DNA and RNA.

A polynucleotide is not formed through a traditional dehydration synthesis reaction. Instead of removing the components of water from the monomers, a phosphate group is removed from each to form the linkage.

Teacher Support

The primary functions of nucleic acids is to store genetic information needed to produce proteins and to facilitate the appropriate linkages between amino acids. Another function of nucleic acids is in energy transfer, discussed in a later chapter.

The concept of the double helix of DNA can be challenging to understand. Ask the students to imagine a rope ladder with the top of the right side labeled 3 and the other end of that side labeled 5. The top of the left side is labeled 5 and the other end 3, so the numbers are going in opposite directions on opposite sides of the ladder, giving the sides of the structure an antiparallel orientation. Now imagine grabbing the ladder from the top and twisting. That is a double helix. It is double because there are two sides to it. You might try to draw a ladder, with its labels; then, ask the students to imagine it twisting. Another possibility is to have students use pipe cleaners to build the double helix.

RNA usually exists as a single strand. Messenger RNA (mRNA) can be found in the nucleus, where it “mirrors” the sequence of nucleotides found in DNA, and in the cytoplasm, where it delivers its message to ribosomes for protein assembly. Ribosomes are made of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and protein. Transfer RNA (tRNA) carries amino acids to the ribosomes for attachment to a developing protein. MicroRNA (miRNA) are the smallest RNA molecules and their role involves the regulation of gene expression by interfering with the expression of certain mRNA.

Some viruses contain double stranded RNA, but plants and animals do not.

The Science Practice Challenge Questions contain additional test questions for this section that will help you prepare for the AP exam. These questions address the following standards:
[APLO 3.1] [APLO 4.17]

DNA and RNA

Nucleic acids are the most important macromolecules for the continuity of life. They carry the genetic blueprint of a cell and carry instructions for the functioning of the cell.

The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material found in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is found in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes, the DNA is not enclosed in a membranous envelope.

The entire genetic content of a cell is known as its genome, and the study of genomes is genomics. In eukaryotic cells but not in prokaryotes, DNA forms a complex with histone proteins to form chromatin, the substance of eukaryotic chromosomes. A chromosome may contain tens of thousands of genes. Many genes contain the information to make protein products; other genes code for RNA products. DNA controls all of the cellular activities by turning the genes “on” or “off.”

The other type of nucleic acid, RNA, is mostly involved in protein synthesis. The DNA molecules never leave the nucleus but instead use an intermediary to communicate with the rest of the cell. This intermediary is the messenger RNA (mRNA). Other types of RNA—like rRNA, tRNA, and microRNA—are involved in protein synthesis and its regulation.

DNA and RNA are made up of monomers known as nucleotides. The nucleotides combine with each other to form a polynucleotide, DNA or RNA. Each nucleotide is made up of three components: a nitrogenous base, a pentose (five-carbon) sugar, and a phosphate group (Figure 3.33). Each nitrogenous base in a nucleotide is attached to a sugar molecule, which is attached to one or more phosphate groups.

The molecular structure of a nucleotide is shown. The core of the nucleotide is a pentose whose carbon residues are numbered one prime through five prime. The base is attached to the one prime carbon, and the phosphate is attached to the five prime carbon. Two kinds of pentose are found in nucleotides: ribose and deoxyribose. Deoxyribose has an H instead of OH at the two prime position. Five kinds of base are found in nucleotides. Two of these, adenine and guanine, are purine bases with two rings fused together. The other three, cytosine, thymine and uracil, have one six-membered ring.
Figure 3.33 A nucleotide is made up of three components: a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and one or more phosphate groups. Carbon residues in the pentose are numbered 1′ through 5′ (the prime distinguishes these residues from those in the base, which are numbered without using a prime notation). The base is attached to the 1′ position of the ribose, and the phosphate is attached to the 5′ position. When a polynucleotide is formed, the 5′ phosphate of the incoming nucleotide attaches to the 3′ hydroxyl group at the end of the growing chain. Two types of pentose are found in nucleotides, deoxyribose (found in DNA) and ribose (found in RNA). Deoxyribose is similar in structure to ribose, but it has an H instead of an OH at the 2′ position. Bases can be divided into two categories: purines and pyrimidines. Purines have a double ring structure, and pyrimidines have a single ring.

The nitrogenous bases, important components of nucleotides, are organic molecules and are so named because they contain carbon and nitrogen. They are bases because they contain an amino group that has the potential of binding an extra hydrogen, thus decreasing the hydrogen ion concentration in its environment, making it more basic. Each nucleotide in DNA contains one of four possible nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G) cytosine (C), and thymine (T).

Adenine and guanine are classified as purines. The primary structure of a purine is two carbon-nitrogen rings. Cytosine, thymine, and uracil are classified as pyrimidines which have a single carbon-nitrogen ring as their primary structure (Figure 3.33). Each of these basic carbon-nitrogen rings has different functional groups attached to it. In molecular biology shorthand, the nitrogenous bases are simply known by their symbols A, T, G, C, and U. DNA contains A, T, G, and C whereas RNA contains A, U, G, and C.

The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, and in RNA, the sugar is ribose (Figure 3.33). The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the second carbon of the ribose and hydrogen on the second carbon of the deoxyribose. The carbon atoms of the sugar molecule are numbered as 1′, 2′, 3′, 4′, and 5′ (1′ is read as “one prime”). The phosphate residue is attached to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms a 5′–3′ phosphodiester linkage. The phosphodiester linkage is not formed by simple dehydration reaction like the other linkages connecting monomers in macromolecules: its formation involves the removal of two phosphate groups. A polynucleotide may have thousands of such phosphodiester linkages.

DNA Double-Helix Structure

DNA has a double-helix structure (Figure 3.34). The sugar and phosphate lie on the outside of the helix, forming the backbone of the DNA. The nitrogenous bases are stacked in the interior, like the steps of a staircase, in pairs; the pairs are bound to each other by hydrogen bonds. Every base pair in the double helix is separated from the next base pair by 0.34 nm. The two strands of the helix run in opposite directions, meaning that the 5′ carbon end of one strand will face the 3′ carbon end of its matching strand. (This is referred to as antiparallel orientation and is important to DNA replication and in many nucleic acid interactions.)

The molecular structure of DNA is shown. DNA consists of two antiparallel strands twisted in a double helix. The phosphate backbone is on the outside, and the nitrogenous bases face one another on the inside.
Figure 3.34 Native DNA is an antiparallel double helix. The phosphate backbone (indicated by the curvy lines) is on the outside, and the bases are on the inside. Each base from one strand interacts via hydrogen bonding with a base from the opposing strand. (credit: Jerome Walker/Dennis Myts)

Only certain types of base pairing are allowed. For example, a certain purine can only pair with a certain pyrimidine. This means A can pair with T, and G can pair with C, as shown in Figure 3.35. This is known as the base complementary rule. In other words, the DNA strands are complementary to each other. If the sequence of one strand is AATTGGCC, the complementary strand would have the sequence TTAACCGG. During DNA replication, each strand is copied, resulting in a daughter DNA double helix containing one parental DNA strand and a newly synthesized strand.

Visual Connection

Hydrogen bonding between thymine and adenine and between guanine and cytosine is shown. Thymine forms two hydrogen bonds with adenine, and guanine forms three hydrogen bonds with cytosine. The phosphate backbones of each strand are on the outside and run in opposite directions.
Figure 3.35 In a double stranded DNA molecule, the two strands run antiparallel to one another so that one strand runs 5′ to 3′ and the other 3′ to 5′. The phosphate backbone is located on the outside, and the bases are in the middle. Adenine forms hydrogen bonds (or base pairs) with thymine, and guanine base pairs with cytosine.
Refer to Figure 3.35
A mutation occurs, and cytosine is replaced with adenine. What impact do you think this will have on the DNA structure?
  1. The DNA will normally pair its adenine with thymine, causing no change in the DNA structure.
  2. The DNA will bulge in the places where cytosine is replaced by adenine.
  3. The adenine substituted in the place of cytosine will get methylated and will not be transcribed further.
  4. The DNA will cause another mutation to replace this incorrect DNA base.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is mainly involved in the process of protein synthesis under the direction of DNA. RNA is usually 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 the phosphate group.

There are four major types of RNA: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and microRNA (miRNA). The first, mRNA, carries the message from DNA, which controls all of the cellular activities in a cell. If a cell requires a certain protein to be synthesized, the gene for this product is turned “on” and the messenger RNA is synthesized in the nucleus. The RNA base sequence is complementary to the coding sequence of the DNA from which it has been copied. However, in RNA, the base T is absent and U is present instead. If the DNA strand has a sequence AATTGCGC, the sequence of the complementary RNA is UUAACGCG. In the cytoplasm, the mRNA interacts with ribosomes and other cellular machinery (Figure 3.36).

An illustration of a ribosome is shown. mRNA sits between the large and small subunits. tRNA molecules bind the ribosome and add amino acids to the growing peptide chain.
Figure 3.36 A ribosome has two parts: a large subunit and a small subunit. The mRNA sits in between the two subunits. A tRNA molecule recognizes a codon on the mRNA, binds to it by complementary base pairing, and adds the correct amino acid to the growing peptide chain.

The mRNA is read in sets of three bases known as codons. Each codon codes for a single amino acid. In this way, the mRNA is read and the protein product is made. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a major constituent of ribosomes on which the mRNA binds. The rRNA ensures the proper alignment of the mRNA and the ribosomes; the rRNA of the ribosome also has an enzymatic activity (peptidyl transferase) and catalyzes the formation of the peptide bonds between two aligned amino acids. Transfer RNA (tRNA) is one of the smallest of the four types of RNA, usually 70–90 nucleotides long. It carries the correct amino acid to the site of protein synthesis. It is the base pairing between the tRNA and mRNA that allows for the correct amino acid to be inserted in the polypeptide chain. microRNAs are the smallest RNA molecules and their role involves the regulation of gene expression by interfering with the expression of certain mRNA messages. Table 3.2 summarizes features of DNA and RNA.

Features of DNA and RNA
DNA RNA
FunctionCarries genetic informationInvolved in protein synthesis
LocationRemains in the nucleusLeaves the nucleus
StructureDouble helixUsually single-stranded
SugarDeoxyriboseRibose
PyrimidinesCytosine, thymineCytosine, uracil
PurinesAdenine, guanineAdenine, guanine
Table 3.2

Even though the RNA is single stranded, most RNA types show extensive intramolecular base pairing between complementary sequences, creating a predictable three-dimensional structure essential for their function.

As you have learned, information flow in an organism takes place from DNA to RNA to protein. DNA dictates the structure of mRNA in a process known as transcription, and RNA dictates the structure of protein in a process known as translation. This is known as the Central Dogma of Life, which holds true for all organisms; however, exceptions to the rule occur in connection with viral infections.

Link to Learning

To learn more about DNA, explore the Howard Hughes Medical Institute BioInteractive animations on the topic of DNA.

Why is DNA replication like an assembly line?
  1. It consists of many biochemical machines that functions specifically in order to drive a specific action like an assembly line.
  2. It consists of many biochemical machines that have the same function in order to drive a specific action like an assembly line.
  3. It consists of many biochemical machines where each functions randomly in order to drive a specific action like an assembly line.
  4. It consists of many biochemical machines that functions in order to drive a non-specific action like an assembly line.

Science Practice Connection for AP® Courses

Activity

Using construction paper, markers, and scissors, construct a model of DNA with at least 8 nucleotides. Then, use the model to distinguish between DNA and RNA and hypothesize how the DNA molecule is replicated during cell division. (Keep your molecule to model the processes of transcription and translation that you will explore in Chapter 15.)

Think About It

A mutation occurs, and cytosine is replaced with adenine. Explain how this affects how the changed strand will base pair with its complementary strand of DNA.

Teacher Support

This activity is an application of Learning Objective 3.1 and Science Practice 6.5, Learning Objective 4.1 and Science Practice 7.1, and Learning Objective 4.2 and Science Practice 1.3 because students are constructing a model to explain how DNA stores genetic information, to distinguish between DNA and RNA, and to propose a method how DNA is replicated in cell division.

The Think About It question is an application of Learning Objective 3.6 and Science Practice 6.4 and Learning Objective 4.3 and Science Practices 6.1 and 6.4 because students are predicting how a change in a DNA sequence can affect the genetic information it carries.

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