Explain the components of DNA and explain its functional relationship to RNA and protein?

Answer 1

DNA or Deoxyhydro-Neucleic Acid is composed of base pairs, nitrogen and phosphates. The nitrogen and phosphates form the backbone of the DNA structure and take the shape of a double helix with the base pairs on the inside and the backbone on the outside. Thus, a molecule of DNA is actually two separate chains interwoven. The base pairs contain the information and most of the time are protected on the inside of the helix. There are four base pairs, adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine (represented by the letters A, T, C, and G) A bonds with T, C bonds with G via hydrogen bonding. A cannot bond to either C or G. This is a major function of the structure of DNA in protecting the information it contains. Should a base pair be incorrectly placed, the molecule will not fold up correctly, and an enzyme will likely find the problem and insert the correct base pair. This base pair bonding makes duplicating the molecule quite easy. The DNA helix unwinds, leaving two separate strands. The base pair sequences on these two strands are complementary to each other. Where there is a C on the first chain, there will be a G on the other. So to copy the molecule, complementary base pairs can be inserted onto the open chain and a back bone bonded to the new base pairs and the resultant will be two identical helices of DNA. A similar mechanism is employed in DNAs transcription To RNA. To be read, the DNA molecule unwinds, leaving two complementary chains. The chain that contains the information starts with a certain sequence which labels it as the one containing useful information. RNA base pairs are inserted onto the DNA chain in the same manner as DNA base pairs would be to copy the molecule with a few exceptions. There is no RNA base pair for thymine, instead the base pair Uracil is used. Uracil is complementary to Adenine. The backbone is also subtly different, though its immaterial to the transcription process. Once completed, this molecule of messenger RNA is complementary to the molecule of DNA, whose information it now encodes. The messenger RNA is what the protein is constructed off of. Transcription enzymes are used for such purpose and have a triplet of base pairs on one end and a amino acid on the other. The triplet of base pairs lines up with a triplet on the messenger RNA and one by one a chain of amino acids is put together. once the transcription enzymes get to the end of the messenger RNA molecule, the protein folds up.