Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) - polymer of nucleotides containing genetic information that codes for proteins
Nucleotide - a monomer of DNA consisting of a ribose/deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group and one of four possible bases

• There are two types
  • DNA (ribose sugar that is missing an O on C-2)
  • RNA
• Nitrogenous Bases
  • Purines (double rings)

                         Adenine

                         Guanine

            o   Pyramidines

                       Cytosine

                       Thymine (only in DNA)

                       Uracil (only in RNA)

• A chain of nucleotides is called a strand
• The bond between phosphate group on one nucleotide and the hydroxyl group of another
  • Phosphodiester bond è condensation reaction
• RNA coils into a single helix strand
• DNA coils into a double helical strand
• Strict base pairing
  • C-G with 3 H-bonds
  • A-T with 2 H-bonds
  • Purine - pyramidine

• DNA
  • Strands are anti-parallel
  • Each strand ends with a sugar on one end and a phosphate group on the other

• Other nucleotides
  • ATP - Adenosine triphosphate
  • FAD - flavin adenine dinucleotide
  • NAD⁺ - nicoamide adenine dinucleotide
  • NADP, FADP
  • CAMP - cyclic adenosine monophosphate

• Can form hybrid DNA with closely related organisms