| Term | Definition |
| constant | the sugar-phosphate backbone is _______ (primary structure) |
| primary | this structure of nucleic acids is the order of the bases |
| nucleotides | DNA and RNA are polymers of ______ |
| tertiary | this structure of nucleic acids is the supercoiling |
| DNA | genes are composed of ____ |
| circular | DNA is located in the cytoplasm of bacteria; it is _____ in prokaryotes (bacteria) |
| chromatin | a complex of DNA wound around histones in a bead-like structure |
| linear | DNA is _____ in eukaryotes & contained within chromosomes |
| rRNA | FOUND IN RIBOSOMES, the site of protein synthesis |
| topoisomerase | enzymes that control the supercoiled state of DNA are ________ |
| supercoiling | the 3-D arrangement of all atoms of the DNA is called ________ |
| nucleoside | a nitrogen base & a ribose sugar |
| nucleosome | a structural unit of a eukaryotic chromosome, consisting of a length of DNA coiled around a core of histones |
| variable | the nitrogen bases are _____ on the structure (primary structure) |
| uracil | the pyrimidine nitrogen bases in RNA are ____ and cytosine |
| secondary | this structure of nucleic acids is the 3-D conformation of the polynucleotide backbone |
| hyperchromicity | is the increase of absorbance (optical density) of a material. The most famous example is that of DNA that occurs when the DNA duplex is denatured |
| three | G-C has ____ hydrogen bonds |
| topoisomerase 1 | cuts the phosphodiester backbone of ONE strand, passes the end through, and reseals the strand |
| tRNA | transports amino acids to site of protein synthesis; intramolecular hydrogen bonding between A-U and G-C occurs in the sections of _____; "cloverleaf structure" |
| nucleotide | a nucleoside (base and ribose) with a phosphate group |
| DNA | sugar is a deoxyribose, contains an H group on the 2' C |
| nucleotides | consist of a nitrogen base, a monosaccharide, & at least one phosphate |
| quaternary | this structure of nucleic acids is the DNA/ protein interactions |
| topoisomerase 2 | cuts BOTH strands, passes some of the remaining DNA helix between the cut strands, and reseals; gets rid of 2 coils at a time |
| humans | have 20-30,000 genes |
| RNA | sugar is a ribose, contains an OH group on the 2' C |
| two | A-T has ____ hydrogen bonds |
| 32 | each base toasted by ____ degrees compared to the next provides for maximum base pairing |
| secondary structure | the ordered arrangement of nucleic acid strands |
| histone proteins | H2A, H2B, H3, & H4 (there are two of each) |
| nucleus | where the DNA or "genome" is located eukaryotic cells |
| mRNA | directs amino acid sequence of proteins; contains the genetic information from DNA (genes); is translated into a polypeptide sequence (protein or an amino acid polymer) |
| histones | supercoiling of eukaryotic DNA occurs through complexes with proteins called _______ |
| phosphodiester | nucleotides are linked 5' to 3' by _________ bonds (primary structure) |
| negatively | DNA strands are anti-parallel and overall DNA is _____ charged (acidic) |
| positively | histones are _____ charged proteins; rich in the basic amino acids lysine and arginine |
| upwards | B-DNA is a *right-handed* helix (point thumb up, DNA winds ____ in direction fingers are pointing) |
| double helix | 2 anti-parallel DNA strands coiled around the same axis (spiral staircase) this is the secondary structure |
| hydrogen | _______ bonds hold the two DNA strands together |
