Nuc|e|c Ac|d Metabo||sm

DNA deoxyr|bonuc|e|c ac|d

F consldered as Lhe blueprlnL or Lhe heredlLary molecule of all llvlng organlsms
F Lhere are Lwo unA sLrands bounded by four nucleoLlde bases called purlnes and pyrlmldlnes
F Lhe Lwo purlnes are known as adenlne (A) and guanlne (C) and Lhe Lwo pyrlmldes are Lhymlne (1)
and cyLoslne (C)
F conLaln Lhe genes and Lhe geneLlc code whlch are passed from generaLlons Lo generaLlons Lhls ls
made posslble Lhrough a process known as unA 8epllcaLlon

DNA kep||cat|on
F ls a blologlcal process LhaL occurs ln all llvlng organlsms and coples Lhelr unA lL ls Lhe basls for
blologlcal lnherlLance
F an essenLlal process ln Lhe perpeLuaLlon of Lhe specles

Summary of DNA kep||cat|on
1 ellcases unwlnd Lhe parenLal double hellx
2 SlnglesLrand blndlng proLelns sLablllze Lhe unwound parenLal unA
3 1he leadlng sLrand ls synLheslzed conLlnuously ln Lhe 3' 3' dlrecLlon by unA polymerase
4 1he lagglng sLrand ls synLheslzed dlsconLlnuously rlmase synLheslzes a shorL 8nA prlmer whlch ls
exLended by unA polymerase Lo form an Ckazakl fragmenL
3 AfLer Lhe 8nA ls replaced by unA (by anoLher unA polymerase) unA llgase [olns Lhe Ckazakl
fragmenL Lo Lhe growlng sLrand

kep||cat|on Lnzymes
F ,aln Lnzyme ls unA olymerase l
F ,any molecules lnvolved refer Lo as unA 8epllcase SysLem or 8epllsome le (ln Lcoll)
F ellcases separaLe parenL unA sLrands
F 1opolsomerases ease sLraln / sLress of separaLlon on unA sLrucLure
F unA 8lndlng roLelns sLablllze lndlvldual sLrands
F rlmases provlde prlmer sequences
F unA Llgases repalr nlcks / gaps

DNA kecomb|nat|on
F refers Lo Lhe process LhaL a unA segmenL moves from one unA molecule Lo anoLher unA molecule
1he followlng Lhree Lypes are mosL commonly observed

1 omo|ogous recomb|nat|on lL occurs beLween Lwo homologous unA molecules also called unA
crossover
2 S|tespec|f|c recomb|nat|on lL occurs aL a speclflc unA sequence whlch ls presenL ln boLh non
homologous unA molecules LhaL may have Lhe recomblnaLlon
3 @ranspos|t|ona| recomb|nat|on A moblle elemenL ls lnserLed lnLo a LargeL unA


1he homologous recomblnaLlon ofLen occurs durlng melosls CLher Lypes of recomblnaLlon are
noL speclflcally relaLed Lo cell dlvlslon

|o|og|ca| ko|es for kecomb|nat|on
1 CeneraLlng new gene/allele comblnaLlons (crosslng over durlng melosls)
2 CeneraLlng new genes (eg lmmuno globulln rearrangemenL)
3 lnLegraLlon of a speclflc unA elemenL
4 unA repalr

@ranscr|pt|on
F 1ranscrlpLlon ls Lhe process of maklng an 8nA copy of a slngle gene Cenes are speclflc reglons of
Lhe unA of a chromosome
F 1he enzyme used ln LranscrlpLlon ls 8nA polymerase" 1here are several forms of 8nA polymerase
ln eukaryoLes mosL genes are Lranscrlbed by 8nA polymerase 2
F 1he raw maLerlals for Lhe new 8nA are Lhe 4 rlbonucleoslde LrlphosphaLes A1 C1 C1 and u1
lL's Lhe same A1 as ls used for energy ln Lhe cell
F As wlLh unA repllcaLlon LranscrlpLlon proceeds 3 Lo 3' new bases are added Lo Lhe free 3' C
group
F unllke repllcaLlon LranscrlpLlon does noL need Lo bulld on a prlmer lnsLead LranscrlpLlon sLarLs aL a
reglon of unA called a promoLer"

9rocess of @ranscr|pt|on
F 1ranscrlpLlon sLarLs wlLh 8nA polymerase blndlng Lo Lhe promoLer
F 1hls blndlng only occurs under some condlLlons when Lhe gene ls on" varlous oLher proLelns
(LranscrlpLlon facLors) help 8nA polymerase blnd Lo Lhe promoLer CLher unA sequences furLher
upsLream from Lhe promoLer are also lnvolved
F Cnce lL ls bound Lo Lhe promoLer 8nA polymerase unwlnds a small secLlon of Lhe unA and uses lL as
a LemplaLe Lo synLheslze an exacL 8nA copy of Lhe unA sLrand
F 1he unA sLrand used as a LemplaLe ls Lhe codlng sLrand" Lhe oLher sLrand ls Lhe noncodlng
sLrand" noLlce LhaL Lhe 8nA ls made from 3' end Lo 3' end so Lhe codlng sLrand ls acLually read
from 3' Lo 3'
F 8nA polymerase proceeds down Lhe unA synLheslzlng Lhe 8nA copy
F ln prokaryoLes each 8nA ends aL a speclflc LermlnaLor sequence ln eukaryoLes LranscrlpLlon
doesn'L have a deflnlLe end polnL Lhe 8nA ls glven a deflnlLlve LermlnaLlon polnL durlng 8nA
processlng

After @ranscr|pt|on
1 ln prokaryoLes Lhe 8nA copy of a gene ls messenger 8nA ready Lo be LranslaLed lnLo proLeln ln
facL LranslaLlon sLarLs even before LranscrlpLlon ls flnlshed
2 ln eukaryoLes Lhe prlmary 8nA LranscrlpL of a gene needs furLher processlng before lL can be
LranslaLed 1hls sLep ls called 8nA processlng" Also lL needs Lo be LransporLed ouL of Lhe nucleus
lnLo Lhe cyLoplasm
3 SLeps ln 8nA processlng
a) Add a cap Lo Lhe 3' end
b) Add a polyA Lall Lo Lhe 3' end
c) spllce ouL lnLrons

Summary of kNA 9rocess|ng
1 ln eukaryoLes 8nA polymerase produces a prlmary LranscrlpL" an exacL 8nA copy of Lhe gene
2 A cap ls puL on Lhe 3' end
3 1he 8nA ls LermlnaLed and polyA ls added Lo Lhe 3' end
4 All lnLrons are spllced ouL
3 AL Lhls polnL Lhe 8nA can be called messenger 8nA lL ls Lhen LransporLed ouL of Lhe nucleus lnLo
Lhe cyLoplasm where lL ls LranslaLed

lnLrons are reglons wlLhln a gene LhaL don'L code for proLeln and don'L appear ln Lhe flnal m8nA
molecule roLelncodlng secLlons of a gene (called exons) are lnLerrupLed by lnLrons

ene Lxpress|on

@o Steps kequ|red

1 1ranscrlpLlon
1he synLhesls of m8nA uses Lhe gene on Lhe unA molecule as a LemplaLe
1hls happens ln Lhe nucleus of eukaryoLes
2 1ranslaLlon
1he synLhesls of a polypepLlde chaln uslng Lhe geneLlc code on Lhe m8nA molecule as lLs gulde

kNA lound all over Lhe cell (nucleus mlLochondrla chloroplasLs rlbosomes and Lhe soluble parL of Lhe
cyLoplasm)

@ypes of kNA
,essenger 8nA (m8nA) 3
8lbosomal 8nA (r8nA) up Lo 80
1ransfer 8nA (L8nA) AbouL 13
ln eukaryoLes small nuclear rlbonucleoproLelns (sn8n)

Structura| character|st|cs of kNA mo|ecu|es
S|ng|e po|ynuc|eot|de strand whlch may be looped or colled (noL a double hellx)
Sugar k|bose (noL deoxyrlbose)
8ases used Adenlne Cuanlne CyLoslne and Drac|| (noL 1hymlne)

mkNA
A long molecule 1 mllllon ualLons
Lphemeral
ulfflculL Lo lsolaLe
m8nA provldes Lhe plan for Lhe polypepLlde chaln

rkNA
Colled
1wo subunlLs
a long molecule 1 mllllon ualLons
a shorL molecule 42 000 ualLons
lalrly sLable
lound ln rlbosomes
,ade as subunlLs ln Lhe nucleolus
r8nA provldes Lhe plaLform for proLeln synLhesls

tkNA
ShorL molecule abouL 23 000 ualLons
Soluble
AL leasL 61 dlfferenL forms each has a speclflc anLlcodon as parL of lLs sLrucLure
L8nA LranslaLes" Lhe message on Lhe m8nA lnLo a polypepLlde chaln



@ranscr|pt|on @he synthes|s of a strand of mkNA (and other kNAs)
uses an enzyme 8nA polymerase
roceeds ln Lhe same dlrecLlon as repllcaLlon (3' Lo 3')
lorms a complemenLary sLrand of m8nA
lL beglns aL a promoLor slLe whlch slgnals Lhe beglnnlng of gene ls noL much furLher down Lhe
molecule (abouL 20 Lo 30 nucleoLldes)
AfLer Lhe end of Lhe gene ls reached Lhere ls a LermlnaLor sequence LhaL Lells 8nA polymerase Lo
sLop Lranscrlblng
n8 1ermlnaLor sequence LermlnaLor codon

Ld|t|ng the mkNA
ln prokaryoLes Lhe Lranscrlbed m8nA goes sLralghL Lo Lhe rlbosomes ln Lhe cyLoplasm
ln eukaryoLes Lhe freshly Lranscrlbed m8nA ln Lhe nucleus ls abouL 3000 nucleoLldes long
Jhen Lhe same m8nA ls used for LranslaLlon aL Lhe rlbosome lL ls only 1000 nucleoLldes long
1he m8nA has been edlLed
1he parLs whlch are kepL for gene expresslon are called LxCnS (exons expressed)
1he parLs whlch are edlLed ouL (by sn8n molecules) are called ln18CnS

@rans|at|on
LocaLlon 1he rlbosomes ln Lhe cyLoplasm LhaL provlde Lhe envlronmenL for LranslaLlon
1he geneLlc code ls broughL by Lhe m8nA molecule

Jhat |s genet|c code?
1he geneLlc code conslsLs of Lhe sequence of bases found along Lhe m8nA molecule
1here are only four leLLers Lo Lhls code (A C C and u)
1he code needs Lo be complex enough Lo represenL d|fferent am|no ac|ds used Lo bulld proLelns

o many comb|nat|ons?
lf one base represenLed one amlno acld Lhls would only be able Lo produce
4 dlfferenL comblnaLlons (A C C and u)
lf pa|rs of bases represenLed each amlno acld Lhls would only be able Lo produce
4 x 4 16 comblnaLlons (AA AC AC Au CA CC CC Cu eLc)
lf tr|p|ets of bases represenLed each amlno acld Lhls would be able Lo produce
4 x 4 x 4 64 comblnaLlons

1hls ls enough comblnaLlons Lo code for Lhe 20 amlno aclds but |s the code actua||y made of tr|p|ets?


Nature |s |og|ca|!
Cver 10 years blochemlsLs synLheslsed blLs of m8nA wlLh dlfferenL comblnaLlons
1hen Lhey used Lhem Lo synLheslse polypepLldes
1he resulLs proved Lhe loglcal answer was correcL
1he geneLlc code ls made of LrlpleLs of bases called codons


repared and presenLed by


DANILC V kCAAN Ik
8SLu 8lologlcal Sclence

+02282011