Aim: What is the structure of Nucleic Acids?Do Now: List 4 things you observe in the molecule below

How do nucleic acids differ from lipids, carbs, and aminoacids?

1. Identify and circle a nucleotide in the above picture.

What is a nucleotide?2. What kind of molecules is a nucleotide? (Organic or inorganic)

3. How do you know: a.b. c.

4. What are the THREE common parts of a nucleotide.a. b. c.

Organic molecule

It is made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygenCarbon is the main elementIt is a large and complex moleculeIt has a chain of carbons

Carbohydrate (sugar): Ribose or DeoxyribosePhosphate groupNitrogenous base

Aim: Understand the structure of DNADo Now: List 4 things you learned about DNA

5. What is the ONE part of a nucleotide that differs among the four DIFFERENT nucleotides?

6. List the FOUR different kinds of nitrogen bases.abc d

Nitrogenous base

Adenine (A)Guanine (G)Cytosine (C)Thymine (T)

Phosphate group connects with ribose (sugar)Nitrogen base connects with nitrogen base

6. Explain WHERE the nucleotide molecules connect to each other.

7. Label PHOSPHATE GROUP, SUGAR, NITROGEN BASE on the right diagram.

There are four kind of nitrogenous bases: CYTOSINE (C), GUANINE (G), THYMINE (T), ADENINE (A)A real DNA molecule consists of THOUSAND of pairs of nucleotides.

8. What is the pairing arrangement of nitrogen bases?

______________________ pairs with ______________________________

and __________________ pairs with _______________________________

Phosphategroup

Nitrogenbase

Ribose

Thymine Adenine

Guanine Cytosine

DNA structure of double helix

•Nucleic acids are macromolecules (big molecules) containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorous.

•Nucleic acids are made of basic units called nucleotides.

•Nucleotides consist of three parts: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

•Individual nucleotides can be joined by covalent bonds to form a nucleic acid.

•The structure of DNA is a double helix

•Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information.

•Nucleic acids are found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.

•There are two kinds of nucleic acids: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

•As the name indicates, RNA contains the sugar ribose and DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose.

DNA’s Double helix structure was discovered in 1953 by Dr. Watson & Crick.

9. Scientists abbreviate the nitrogen bases by using the first letter of each base. So,

A always binds to _____________ Guanine always binds to ______________________

G always binds to _____________ Cytosine always binds to ______________________

C always binds to _____________ Thymine always binds to ______________________

T always binds to _____________ Adenine always binds to ______________________ 11. Pair the missing bases on the DNA molecules. 

a)  A – T – A – A – G – C – T – A - G __________________________________

b)  C – C – G – T – A – A – C – G – A __________________________________ c)   A – T – A – C – T – A – G – C – A __________________________________ d)  G – C – T – A – C - A - G – A – C __________________________________

T – A- T – T – C – G – A – T - C

T – A - T – G – A – T – C – G - T

G – G – C – A – T – T – G – C - T

G – G - A – T – G –T – C – T - G

Cytosine

Guanine

Adenine

Thymine

T

C

G

A

10. What is the function of DNA?

12. What is the structure of DNA?

Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information

The structure of DNA is a double helix

a. Nucleic acids are compounds that contains the following elements: ___________________________________________________________________________

b) DNA stands for _______________________________________________________

and RNA stands for ___________________________________________________

c. These substances were first found in the part of the cell called ________________________

d. The structure of the DNA molecule is ____________________________________________

e. DNA is the ______________ material that is passed on from one generation to the next during _________________________

f. DNA and RNA _______________ and ___________________ the development and activities of all the cells in an organism.

g. The DNA molecule is a long chain of repeated units, called __________________________

h. Each nucleotide consists of a __________ , bonded to a __________________________ and a __________________________

j. There are only ______ different nitrogenous bases in a DNA

k. They nitrogenous bases are ___________________________ __________________. And their symbols are________________

_______________ (nitrogenous base) is always bonded to a _________________ (nitrogenous base)

_______________ (nitrogenous base) is always bonded to a _________________ (nitrogenous base)

m.    The shape of a the DNA molecule resembles the shape of a _______________ the sides of the ladder are made up of __________ and ____________________________ and the rungs are made up of ______________________

n. A single DNA molecule may have as many as __________________ pairs of these bases

o. The sequence of bases acts as a ____________ that determines what proteins will be made in the cells.

Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous

Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid

Ribo Nucleic Acid

Nucleus

Double helix

hereditary

Control direct

nucleotidessugar Phosphate group nitrogen base

4

Thymine, cytosine, adenine, guanine T, C, A, G

Thymine AdenineGuanine Cytosine

ladderSugar phosphate group nitrogen base

3 billions

code

reproduction