Understanding Nucleotides

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Biology › Understanding Nucleotides

Questions 1 - 10
1

Which of the following are correct base pair combinations for the DNA structure?

Adenine paired with Thymine

Cytosine paired with Adenosine

Adenine paired with Uracil

Cytosol paired with Guanine

Guanine paired with Thymine

Explanation

There are two types of nucleotides in DNA, pyrimidines and purines. The purines are Adenine and Guanine. Pyrimidines are Thymine and Cytosine. In RNA, Thymine is replaced with Uracil. Purines pair with pyrimidines in a specific order, therefore Adenine pairs with Thymine, and Cytosine pairs with Guanine. Adenine pairs with Uracil only in RNA, not DNA.

2

Select the proper components of a nucleotide in DNA.

A nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a phosphate

A nitrogenous base, a protein, and a phosphate

A nitrogenous base, a hexose sugar, and a phosphate

A nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a protein

A nitrogenous base and a hexose sugar

Explanation

For DNA: A nucleotide contains a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine), a pentose (five-carbon) sugar (in this case, deoxyribose), and a phosphate group. A nucleo_side_ is simply a nitrogenous base and a sugar. You could also say that a nucleo_tide_ is a nucleo_side_ with an attached phosphate group.

3

Which of the following choices have only purines?

Adenine and Guanine

Adenine and Thymine

Thymine and Cytosine

Cytosine and Guanine

Guanine and Thymine

Explanation

Adenine and Guanine are purines, therefore that answer choice is correct. Thymine and Cytosine are pyrimidines, therefore any answer that involves those choices are incorrect.

4

Which of the base pairs below form the strongest bond?

Guanine - cytosine

Adenine - thymine

Adenine - guanine

Cytosine - thymine

Thymine - guanine

Explanation

Guanine - cytosine and adenine - thymine form "complimentary base pairs." Guanine can only form hydrogen bonds with cytosine and adenine can only form hydrogen bonds with thymine (and vice versa). With that in mind, any base pairing other than those two can be excluded from this answer. Furthermore, cytosine and guanine form a total of three hydrogen bonds together while adenine and thymine only form two. The extra bond between guanine and cytosine makes the pairing about 50% stronger.

5

Which of the following is true about purines?

Contains a double ringed structure which is larger than pyrimidines

Are generally smaller then pyrimidines

Thymine and cytosine are purines

Pair well with other purines in DNA

Forms the backbones structure of DNA

Explanation

Purines are one of the two families of nitrogenous bases, the other being pyrimidines. Purines consist of a double ring structure, while pyrimidines contain only a single ring making them smaller than purines. Adenine and guanine are purines, while their complimentary base pairs (thymine and cytosine) are pyrimidines. If two purines were to pair together, there would be an unstable bulge in the DNA due to a purine-purine pair being slightly larger than purine-pyrimidine complimentary base pairs. If two pyrimidines were to create a pair, there would be a slight pinch in the DNA for the same reasons. The backbone of DNA consists of deoxyribose and phosphate, not the nitrogenous bases.

6

Which of the following nucleotides is found in RNA but not DNA?

Uracil

Thymine

Adenine

Guanine

Cytosine

Explanation

RNA and DNA both have the bases cytosine, guanine and adenine in common. In RNA, uracil is present in place of thymine which is found in DNA.

7

Which of the following is true regarding a nucleotide and a nucleoside?

A nucleotide contains at least one more phosphate group than a nucleoside

A nucleoside contains at least one more phosphate group than a nucleotide

A nucleotide contains at least one more nitrogenous base than a nucleoside

A nucleoside contains at least one more nitrogenous base than a nucleotide

Explanation

The main difference between a nucleotide and a nucleoside is the presence or absence of phosphate group(s). A nucleotide contains one or more phosphate groups, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogenous base. A nucleoside, on the other hand, contains only a pentose sugar and a nitrogenous base; therefore, a nucleotide always contains more phosphate groups than a nucleoside.

8

DNA polymerase is used to crate a new DNA strand based on the following template strand.

5'-GCCTCATGA-3'

Which of the following shows the correct complementary strand?

5'-TCATGAGGC-3'

5'-UCAUGAGGC-3'

5'-CGGAGTACT-3'

5'-AGTACTCCG-3'

Explanation

When determining the complementary strand, remember that it will be written in the opposite direction of the template strand. This means that the new strand's 5' end will begin at the 3' end of the template strand. The complementary strand will also be composed of the nucleotides that complete the base pairs found in DNA (A-T and C-G).

Template: 5'-GCCTCATGA-3'

Answer: 5'-TCATGAGGC-3'

To see these pairs match up, the 3' end of the answer must align with the 5' end of the template.

Template: 5'-GCCTCATGA-3'

Answer (3'-5'): 3'-CGGAGTACT-5'

9

When separating strands of DNA, little ‘bubbles’ will often form due to certain portions of the molecule separating before others. Which portion of DNA will separate first under high heat?

Portions with a high ratio of adenine-thymine bonds

Portions with a high ratio of adenine-uracil bonds

Portions with a low ratio of adenine-thymine bonds

Portions with a high ratio of guanine-cytosine bonds

Explanation

Bonds between A-T (adenine and thymine) are held together by 2 hydrogen bonds, while G-C (guanine and cytosine) are held together by 3 hydrogen bonds. Therefore, A-T bonds are weaker, and will separate first when exposed to heat stress. DNA does not contain uracil.

10

Which of the following does not contain a nucleotide or nucleotide derivative?

I. NADH

II. cAMP

III. Acetylcholine

III only

II only

II and III

I, II, and III

Explanation

NADH is a coenzyme that functions to carry electrons during metabolism. It is made up of adenine (a nitrogenous base), nicotinamide (a modified nitrogenous base), two phosphate groups, and two pentose sugars. Since it contains nitrogenous bases, phosphate groups, and pentose sugars it is a type of nucleotide.

cAMP, or cyclic adenosine monophosphate, is a second messenger molecule that facilitates signal transduction inside the cell. It is made up of adenine, a phosphate group, and a pentose sugar (ribose); therefore, it is also a type of nucleotide.

Acetylcholine is a type of neurotransmitter that plays a key role in signal transmission between neurons. Acetylcholine does not contain the three essential groups for a nucleotide; therefore, acetylcholine is not a nucleotide.

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