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The Chemical Structures of DNA & RNA Apr 2018.indd

DNA is a polymer composed of nucleotides, which include a sugar group, a phosphate group, and one of four bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine. DNA strands are held together by hydrogen bonds between complementary bases, and the sequence of these bases encodes genetic information that is transcribed into mRNA and translated into proteins. The process of transcription involves RNA polymerase converting DNA into mRNA, which then directs protein synthesis in the cytoplasm.

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28 views1 page

The Chemical Structures of DNA & RNA Apr 2018.indd

DNA is a polymer composed of nucleotides, which include a sugar group, a phosphate group, and one of four bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine. DNA strands are held together by hydrogen bonds between complementary bases, and the sequence of these bases encodes genetic information that is transcribed into mRNA and translated into proteins. The process of transcription involves RNA polymerase converting DNA into mRNA, which then directs protein synthesis in the cytoplasm.

Uploaded by

Asre Ceren Koca
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF DNA

THE SUGAR PHOSPHATE ‘BACKBONE’ WHAT HOLDS DNA STRANDS TOGETHER?


BASE BASE BASE DNA strands are held together by hydrogen bonds between bases on adjacent
strands. Adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T), while guanine (G) always
pairs with cytosine (C). Adenine pairs with uracil (U) in RNA.
O O O
O O O H
H
P O O P O O P O O N O H N
N N H O
O- O- O-
N G N H N C
N A N H N T
DNA is a polymer made up of units called nucleotides. The nucleotides are
N N
made of three different components: a sugar group, a phosphate group, and a N N
base. There are four different bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. N H O
O
H

A ADENINE T THYMINE FROM DNA TO PROTEINS

NH2 The bases on a single strand of DNA act as a code. The letters form three letter
codons, which code for amino acids - the building blocks of proteins.
H HN
N
N DNA RNA PROTEIN
TRANSCRIPTION TRANSLATION

O N O
N N H An enzyme, RNA polymerase, transcribes DNA into mRNA (messenger
ribonucleic acid). It splits apart the two strands that form the double helix, then
reads a strand and copies the sequence of nucleotides. The only difference
between the RNA and the original DNA is that in the place of thymine (T),

G C
another base with a similar structure is used: uracil (U).
GUANINE CYTOSINE
DNA SEQUENCE T T C C T G A A C C C G T T A
O
mRNA SEQUENCE U U C C U G A A C C C G U U A
H O N NH2
N AMINO ACID Leucine

HN
Phenylalanine Leucine Asparagine Proline

In multicellular organisms, the mRNA carries genetic code out of the cell
HN nucleus, to the cytoplasm. Here, protein synthesis takes place. ‘Translation’ is the

H2N N N process of turning the mRNA’s ‘code’ into proteins. Molecules called ribosomes
carry out this process, building up proteins from the amino acids coded for.

© Andy Brunning/Compound Interest 2018 - www.compoundchem.com | Twitter: @compoundchem | FB: www.facebook.com/compoundchem


Ci This graphic is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence. BY NC ND

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