Question

1. Arrange the following molecules from least to most specific with respect to the original nucleotide sequence: RNA, DNA, Amino Acid, Protein.

2. Identify two structural differences between DNA and RNA.

3. Suppose you are performing an experiment in which you must use heat to denature a double helix and create two single stranded pieces. Based on what you know about nucleotide bonding, do you think the nucleotides will all denature at the same time? Use scientific reasoning to explain why.

EXPERIMENT 1: CODING

1. Using the red, blue, yellow and green beads, devise and lay out a three color code (or codon) for each of the following letters (codon). For example Z = green : red : green.

• C:

• E:

• H:

• I:

• K:

• L:

• M:

• O:

• S:

• T:

• U

• Start:

• Stop:

• Space:

PLEASE LABEL WITH NUMBERS ON SIDE/ ALSO TYPE ANSWERS AS I CANT READ HANDWRITTEN ANSWERS

Answer 1

1) Arrangement of molecules from least to most specific with respect to the original nucleotide sequence:

• Protein
• Amino acids
• RNA
• DNA

DNA is most specific to the given original nucleotide sequence because one DNA molecule gives similar daughter DNA molecules through the process of replication, therefore, they share similar nucleotide sequences. RNA is produced by DNA via the transcription process and complementary to one of the DNA strands and after processing does not contain intron sequences and has modification. Due to the degeneracy of amino acid codons, a single amino acid can be coded by more than one triplet codon which also gives the different combinations of DNA sequences and proteins are polymer of amino acids. Therefore, Proteins are less specific compare to DNA molecules to the given original nucleotide sequence.

2) The structural difference between DNA and RNA: Both DNA and RNA are nucleic acids and involve in the transfer of genetic information.  The first main structural difference between the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (Ribonucleic acid) is that DNA is a double-stranded whereas RNA is a single-stranded molecule. Although RNA can make its own secondary structure by binding into itself. The second difference is the sugar moiety of the two molecules. In DNA, deoxyribose sugar is present whereas it is ribose sugar in the case of the RNA molecule. The difference in sugar is that ribose sugar has a hydroxyl group instead of hydrogen at 2' carbon.

3) DNA (Deoxyribonucelotide) is the genetic material and is polymer of nucleotides (polynucleotide). It is consist of two polynucleotide strands/chain which form DNA double helix by coiling around each other. These nucleotides are attached to each other by covalent bonds (phospho-diester bonds).

While denaturing the DNA helix all nucleotide will not denature at the same time because of the base pairing of the nitrogenous base. Each nucleotide of DNA contain one the four nitrogenous base. These are Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Thymine (T) and cytosine (C). These bases pair to each other according to base-pairing rule ( means A pairs with T and G pairs with C) in a DNA molecule. The adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T) by two hydrogen bonds whereas guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C) by three hydrogen bonds. This difference in the number of hydrogen bonds affects the denaturing of DNA molecules in different regions. The region of DNA which contains more GC content needs a higher temperature because of the presence of three hydrogen bonds as compared to A-T pairing. Therefore, the A-T pairing nucleotide will denature first than G-C pairing.