In: Biology
1.What is the name for the covalent bonds that create the Nucleic Acid backbone?
2.Define Complementarity as it is used in nucleic acid base pairing and explain how complimentary base pairing is the basis for making faithful copies of DNA from DNA templates and RNA from DNA templates.
1) Phosphodiester bonds are the covalent bonds that create the Nucleic Acid backbone.
2) Hydrogen bonds hold the two DNA strands together that determines which nucleotides will form complementary base-pairs. The amount of adenine (A) in the DNA of an organism is the same of the amount of thymine (T) (Chargaff's rule). Similarly, the amount of guanine (G) is the same of the amount of cytosine (C). In DNA, guanine is the complementary base of cytosine, and adenine is the complementary base of thymine. In RNA, guanine is the complementary base of cytosine, and adenine is the complementary base of uracil. During DNA replication: Complementary base pairing plays an important role in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA. This is because adenine always pairs up with thymine and guanine with cytosine. So, complementary base pairing plays a crucial role in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA. During transcription (RNA from DNA): Complementary base pairing plays a crucial role in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA that is converted to mRNA. This is because adenine always pairs up with thymine and guanine with uracil. Therefore, the conversion of base sequence in newly formed mRNA is always significantly comparable to the conversion of the base sequence of DNA. So, complementary base pairing plays a crucial role in the conservation of the base sequence of RNA.