15.E: Exercises

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Multiple Choice

1. A nucleic acid is:

a) a polymer of nucleotides

b) hydrophobic

c) linked to an amino acid via a peptide bond

d) a form of energy storage in the cell

2. Which could be a nucleotide base sequence in DNA?

a) CAUGG

b) AUGGA

c) ACGTA

d) USGGA

3. One unique property of DNA is its ability to

a) reproduce

b) catalyze

c) replicate

d) metabolize

4. Two nucleotides on the same strand of DNA are held together by 

a) peptide bonds 

b) hydrogen bonds 

c) disulfide bonds 

d) phosphodiester bonds 

5. There are ___ codons but they code for only ___ amino acids. 

a) 20, 64 

b) 64, 20 

c) 63, 20 

d) 61, 20 

6. The process by which DNA is converted into RNA is called

a) replication

b) transcription

c) translation

d) reverse transcription

7. Which of the following is not a constituent of deoxyribonucleotides?

a) phosphate

b) deoxyribose

c) ribose

d) organic bases

8. Which base pair typically occurs in double-stranded DNA?

a) G-C

b) G-T

c) G-A

d) G-G

9. Which structural property of DNA is crucial for the conservation of genetic information?

a) antiparallel strands

b) the ability to form a double helix

c) base-pair complementarity

d) all of the above

10. Which of the following is not a characteristic of DNA?

a) double-stranded helix

b) composed of nucleotides

c) contains glucose

d) antiparallel strands

11. Which of the following is not a base used in DNA?

a) thymine

b) uracil

c) guanine

d) adenine

12. A molecule with the formula C₁₉₆H₂₄₅N₈₀O₁₁₅P₁₉ is most likely a(n):

a) peptide

b) nucleotide

c) oligonucleotide

d) chromosome

Warm-Up Questions

1. Nucleotides are to nucleic acids as _______ are to proteins.

2. Pyrimidine bases are used in both RNA and DNA structures, but the base _______ is used exclusively in DNA.

3. What is the difference between a nucleoside and a nucleotide?

4. What is a nucleotide base pair?

5. Write the sequence that complements the sequence 5’-A-T-T-C-C-G-T-C-A-G-3’ in double-stranded DNA.

6. Write the sequence that complements the sequence 5’-C-C-G-T-T-A-A-T-G-C-3’ in double-stranded DNA.

7. Write the RNA sequence that is encoded by the DNA sequence 5’-G-C-T-A-A-T-G-G-C-C-3’

8. Write the RNA sequence that is encoded by the DNA sequence 5’-T-A-G-C-G-T-T-A-C-G-3’

Intermediate Questions

1. Write the amino acid sequence that is encoded by the DNA sequence 5’-GCAGGCAAACCATTTGAATGA-3’

2. Write the amino acid sequence that is encoded by the DNA sequence 5’-AATCGTTCTGAATCT-3”

3. How are carbohydrates involved in the structure of nucleic acids, and what specific sugar is found in these molecules?

4. Explain what it means for the DNA strands in a double helix to be “antiparallel”.

5. In the image below, indicate the location of phosphodiester bonds, purines, pyrimidines and hydrogen bonds.

http://www.synapses.co.uk/genetics/atandgc.gif

6. The images below show ribbon (left) and space-fill (right) models for a large molecular complex. Describe the types of molecules that are included.

Challenge Questions

1. Explain the structural properties of double-stranded DNA that allow it to denature (melt) and renature without changing the genetic sequence.

2. Growing organisms devote a lot of their energy to DNA synthesis. Explain the role of deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs, the building blocks of DNA) in providing this energy.

Health-Related Questions

1. Ultraviolet radiation (such as from sunlight) can affect DNA by linking adjacent pyrimidine bases together or by causing G to be converted to T through oxidation reactions. What are the effects of these chemical changes on DNA structure and information content?

2. Actinomycin was the earliest identified member of a class of antibiotics called DNA intercalators. Members of this class are also potent anti-cancer drugs. Refer to the image below, and follow the link to view an interactive 3-D representation of actinomycin bound to DNA. Use the toolbar at the top of the page to change the way protein and nucleic acid components are displayed. Comment on the amino acids shown in the protein, its structure, and its position relative to the DNA double helix. Given what you know about DNA structure, what effect will the presence of actinomycin have on other DNA-binding proteins?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/icn3d/full.html?mmdbid=173d

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