Nucleic acids include RNA (ribonucleic acid) as well as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Both types of nucleic acids contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Hereof, does DNA have oxygen?
Deoxyribose, found in DNA, is a modified sugar, lacking one oxygen atom (hence the name “deoxy”). This difference of one oxygen atom is important for the enzymes that recognize DNA and RNA, because it allows these two molecules to be easily distinguished inside organisms.
Furthermore, what atoms is DNA made of? It consists of just a few kinds of atoms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Combinations of these atoms form the sugar-phosphate backbone of the DNA — the sides of the ladder, in other words. Other combinations of the atoms form the four bases: thymine (T), adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G).
Also Know, why does DNA have less oxygen?
Due to its deoxyribose sugar, which contains one less oxygen-containing hydroxyl group, DNA is a more stable molecule than RNA, which is useful for a molecule which has the task of keeping genetic information safe.
At which carbon is Deoxyribose lacking in oxygen?
Deoxyribose differs from ribose in that it lacks an oxygen at carbon 2 (labelled) – and so has only 2 hydrogen atoms (white).
14 Related Question Answers Found
Is DNA a nucleic acid?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are made up of nucleic acids found in the nuclei of living cells. They are the vehicles of genetic inheritance. Nucleic acids are condensation polymers of nucleotides.
What is DNA backbone made of?
DNA is made up of the sugar-phosphate backbone. It consists of 5-carbon deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups. These sugars are linked together by a phosphodiester bond, between carbon 4 of their chain, and a CH2 group that is attached to a phosphate ion.
What do 5 and 3 mean?
order by. 19. The 5′ and 3′ mean “five prime” and “three prime”, which indicate the carbon numbers in the DNA’s sugar backbone. The 5′ carbon has a phosphate group attached to it and the 3′ carbon a hydroxyl (-OH) group. This asymmetry gives a DNA strand a “direction”.
Where Is DNA Found?
Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).
Where does DNA replication occur?
DNA replication occurs in the cytoplasm of prokaryotes and in the nucleus of eukaryotes. Regardless of where DNA replication occurs, the basic process is the same.
What sugar does DNA contain?
deoxyribose
What is the main job of RNA?
The main function of RNA is to carry information of amino acid sequence from the genes to where proteins are assembled on ribosomes in the cytoplasm. This is done by messenger RNA (mRNA). A single strand of DNA is the blueprint for the mRNA which is transcribed from that DNA strand.
Why is RNA unstable?
RNA is susceptible to alkaline hydrolysis because the ribose sugar in RNA has a hydroxyl group at the 2′ position, which makes RNA chemically unstable compared to DNA (DNA has hydrogen at the 2′ position). DNA is stable in alkaline conditions. The RNA base, uracil, lacks this methyl group.
Is it biologically advantageous that DNA is stable?
Is it biologically advantageous that DNA stable? Yes. It has all the information required by the cell for its structure and functions. If it were stable molecule, the synthesis of proteins would continue even if there was no need for that protein, resulting in wastage of energy and prove to be harmful for the cell.
Why is DNA called the blueprint of life?
DNA is called the blueprint of life because it contains the instructions needed for an organism to grow, develop, survive and reproduce. DNA does this by controlling protein synthesis. Proteins do most of the work in cells, and are the basic unit of structure and function in the cells of organisms.
What is found in both DNA and RNA?
Nucleotides are composed of three units: base, sugar (monosaccharide) and phosphate. Bases are found in both DNA and RNA. As seen below, they are adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, and uracil. They are abbreviated (A, C, G, T, U).
Why is it called 2 Deoxyribose?
Deoxyribose, or more precisely 2-deoxyribose, is a monosaccharide with idealized formula H−(C=O)−(CH2)−(CHOH)3−H. Its name indicates that it is a deoxy sugar, meaning that it is derived from the sugar ribose by loss of an oxygen atom.
Why is B form DNA most stable?
This makes the proteins access genetic information easily through the major groove of B-DNA. A-DNA appears more stable due to the additional OH group in the ribose; thus, in the process of replication, A-DNA always exists in the cell during transcription, reverse transcription, and RNA-primer annealing.
How many strands does DNA and RNA have?
DNA has two strands arranged in a double helix. RNA consists of a single strand. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) has a backbone of alternating deoxyribose and phosphate groups.