Nucleotides and polynucleotides
The structure of DNA
RNA
DNA: the genetic material
Genetic manipulation and engineering
100

The simplest unit of genetic material

What is "nucleotide"?

100

Complete name of DNA

What is "deoxyribonucleic acid"?

100

 Complete name of RNA

What is "ribonucleic acid"?

100
  • adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T), A-T
  • guanine (G) always pairs with cytosine (C), G-C

The specificity in bonding is referred to as

complementary base pairing

100

species that have had genetic material added from a different species.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

200

A nucleotide consists of three components

phosphate group

pentose sugar

nitrogenous base

200

Chemical formula of deoxyribose 

C5H10O4

200

Chemical formula of ribose

C5H10O5

200

when mistakes in the genetic code occur during replication, transcription or translation, a __________ occurs.

mutation

200

The year when the first commercially  biosynthetic insulin was produced using genetic engineering, inserting the human insulin gene into bacteria.

1978

300

The phosphoric acid molecule is ________, meaning that it can lose up to three protons by ionization in order to bond to the pentose sugar and other nucleotides by a condensation reaction.  

triprotic

300

The two strands of DNA can be separated by overcoming the hydrogen bonds with the use of special enzymes or high temperatures above ____. 

95°C

300

The pentose sugar molecule has many polar functional groups, such as __________ and _____________ groups, that allow it to dissolve well in aqueous environments, forming additional hydrogen bonds and dipole-dipole interactions with water molecules.

hydroxyl and carbonyl

300

In order for the four nitrogenous bases in mRNA to code for 20 different amino acids, translation involves a _____________

triplet code

300

As of 2015, only _____ countries require GMO foods to be labelled, including Australia, most of Europe and parts of Asia. A few countries have even even implemented a ban on the import and/or cultivation of GMO crops.

64

400

Identify the purine bases and pyrimidine bases

Purine bases-adenine and guanine

Pyrimidine bases-thymine, uracil, and cytosine

400

The two strands are aligned with a specific orientation. The sugar-phosphate backbones of the two strands run to each other in opposite directions.

anti-parallel 

anti-parallelism

400

Identify the correct complementary sequence of mRNA that would form from DNA transcription with a sequence of GTTCAA.

CAAGUU

400

DNA transcription is a similar process to DNA replication, in that the genetic material is being copied, but the process is different. Firstly, only small portions of the genome, called _______, are accessed and copied, not the entire genome.

genes

400

Would improved resistance to disease be a benefit or a concern for the use of genetically modified foods?

benefit


If a particular genetically modified crop had an increased resistance to disease, then the crop would have a greater yield, being able to provide food for more people – a benefit.

500

The differences in the structure of pyramidine bases (hint: functional groups)

thymine has two carbonyl functional groups and a methyl group

uracil has two carbonyl functional groups

cytosine has one carbonyl and one amino functional group.

500

The polarities of the sugar-phosphate backbone and nitrogenous bases respectively are

polar and nonpolar


  • The sugar molecules in the backbone contain many polar functional groups, such as hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, making them dissolve well in water. The phosphate ions have a negative charge, allowing for ion-dipole attraction with water molecules. The nitrogenous bases consist of a single or double fused ring, which is highly nonpolar with few polar functional groups. As a result, the nitrogenous bases are on the interior of the double strand, while the sugar-phosphate backbone is on the exterior, interacting with water molecules in the aqueous cellular medium.

500

State the two RNA types used in DNA translation and transcription

transfer RNA (tRNA)

 messenger RNA (mRNA)

500

The process of replicating the DNA is referred to as _______________, since the two daughter double helices each contain one new and one original polynucleotide strand.

semi-conservative

500

Genes from the ____________ have been inserted into a pig in order to produce higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which aids in cardiovascular health.

roundworm