NUCLEIC ACID STRUCTURE

DNA and RNA are large macromolecules with

several levels of complexity

Nucleotides form the repeating units

Phosphodiester bonds link

nucleotides to form a strand

Two strands interact to form

a double helix

The double helix interacts with

proteins resulting in 3-D structures
in the form of chromatin
3D structure

Nucleotide Components

Figure 9.8

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9-25

Combining all the parts

Base + sugar nucleoside
Example
Adenine + ribose = Adenosine
Adenine + deoxyribose = Deoxyadenosine

Base + sugar + phosphate(s) nucleotide

Example
Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)
Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

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9-27

Base always
attached here

Phosphates are
attached there

Figure 9.10

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dNMP

NMP
A, G, C or T

Figure 9.9

A, G, C or U

The structure of nucleotides found in (a) DNA and (b) RNA

9-26

Nucleotide Polymerization Reaction:

Phosphodiester Bond Formation

Figure 9.11

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9-30

Events Leading to DNA Structure

Determination
1953, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered
the double helical structure of DNA
The scientific framework for their breakthrough was
provided by other scientists including
Linus Pauling
Rosalind Franklin
Erwin Chargaff

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9-31

Linus Pauling

Rosalind Franklin

Helical
Double stranded
10 base pairs per turn

X-ray Diffraction Pattern of DNA

Erwin Chargaffs
Experiment
It was assumed the four bases: A, G, C and T
were in a repeating, tetranucleotide configuration
Therefore, there should be the same amount of A,
G, C & T in any molecule of DNA form any source
Chargaff carefully determined the exact
percentages of nuceotides in DNA from several
sources

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9-35

Erwin Chargaffs Data

% A = % T & %G = %C
However %AT DID NOT = %GC
This observation became known as Chargaffs rule

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Watson & Crick

Model DNA
Structure

Base Pairing Key to DNA

Structure

Features of the DNA Double Helix

2 nm

5end

One complete
turn 3.4 nm

H2N
O

O
H
N
O P O CH2
O
O
HH
HH

H
O

HH
N

O
N
O
O P O CH2 O
N
NH2
O
HH
HH
H
H
H
H N
O H
N
N
O

O
O P O CH2 O
O
HH
HH
H
OH H

3end

O
O
P O
CH2
O

NH
NH22

HH
O

H2 N

HO

H HH

A S
P S
P
S
G C
P
S
P
5phosphate
S
G C
S
P
C
S
S
P
P S
P
S P
S
A T S P
G C S P
S
P
C G S
S P
S T A P
P S
P
3hydroxyl
P S G
P S
C G P
S
P
T A
S
P
S G C
P S
One nucleotide
A T
S
P S
0.34 nm
P S
P
SC G
S P
S C G
P

3end

HH
O

O
CH2 O P O
O

H
HH
N
N

HH
O
H

O
CH2 O P O
O

H2 N

CH3

5 end

Features of the DNA Double Helix

Minor
groove

Major
groove

Minor
groove
Major
groove

Ball-and-stick model of DNA

Space-filling
model of DNA

Major Helical Conformations of

DNA
ADNA

BDNA

A260

Melting Point Curve:

Tm is Proportional to %GC

Tm= 68.9 + (0.41)(%GC)

The Three-Dimensional Structure

of DNA

Figure 9.21

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RNA Structure
The primary structure of an RNA strand is much
like that of a DNA strand
RNA is made as a single strand only, however it
may form double stranded structures
RNA strands can be 10s to 1000s of nts in length
RNA is made from a DNA template - only one of
the two strands of a DNA helix is used as the
template
RNA contains uracil rather than thymine

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Figure 9.22

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RNA Secondary Structures

Figure 9.23

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RNA Tertiary Structure a tRNA

Figure 9.24

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