NUCLEIC ACIDS

Learning Outcomes

• Define nucleic acids and its functions

• Illustrate the difference between DNA and RNA
structures
• Appreciate the importance of Nucleic acids to
our body
 DISCOVERIES:
 Frederic Miesher in
1869, isolated an
acidic compound
from the nuclear
material of SALMON
sperms, and named
it as NUCLEIN which
is now called
NUCLEIC ACID.

Frederic Miesher
• In 1953 J. D. Watson and F. H. C Crick, on the
basis of information available not only proposed
the “Double helical” structure of DNA but also
suggested what Crick termed “central dogma of
molecular genetics”, which states that genetic
information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

• First direct evidence that DNA is the bearer of

genetic information came in 1944 through a
discovery made by Oswald T. Avery, Colin
MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty
 Introduction

A most remarkable property of living cells is their ability to

produce exact replicas of themselves. This is due to the
cells containing fact that all the instructions needed for
making the complete organism of which they are a part.
Nucleic acids are the molecules within a cell that are
responsible for these amazing capabilities.
 NUCLEIC ACIDS

Nucleic acids are molecules

that store information for
cellular growth and
reproduction

There are two types of nucleic

acids:
- deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
and ribonucleic acid (RNA)
• DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid: Found within
cell nucleus for storing and transferring of
genetic information that are passed from one
cell to other during cell division

• RNA: Ribonucleic Acid: Occurs in all parts of

cell serving the primary function is to
synthesize the proteins needed for cell
functions.
 DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
• In most living organisms (except for viruses), genetic
information is stored in the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid, or
DNA. DNA is made and resides in the nucleus of living cells.
DNA gets its name from the sugar molecule contained in its
backbone(deoxyribose); however, it gets its significance from
its unique structure. Four different nucleotide bases occur in
DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).
They function as the fundamental units of the genetic code,
with the bases A, G, C, and T being found in DNA
• Adenine, organic compound belonging to the purine family,
occurring free or combined in many substances of biological
importance, including the nucleic acids, which govern
hereditary characteristics of all cells.
• Cytosine, a nitrogenous base derived from pyrimidine that
occurs in nucleic acids, the heredity-controlling components of
all living cells, and in some coenzymes, substances that act in
conjunction with enzymes in chemical reactions in the body.
• Guanine, an organic compound belonging to the purine group,
a class of compounds with a characteristic two-ringed
structure, composed of carbon and nitrogen atoms, and
occurring free or combined in such diverse natural sources. It
is a component of nucleic acids, the cell constituents that store
and transmit hereditary traits.
• Thymine, organic compound of the pyrimidine family that is
a constituent of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA, along
with RNA (ribonucleic acid), regulates hereditary
characteristics in all living cells. Like the other nitrogenous
components of nucleic acids, thymine is part of thymidine, a
corresponding nucleoside (a structural unit composed of a
nitrogen compound and a sugar), in which it is chemically
linked with the sugar deoxyribose. 
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
 Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

-One of the two main types of nucleic acid (the other being DNA), which
functions in cellular protein synthesis in all living cells. Like DNA, it
consists of strands of repeating nucleotides joined in chainlike fashion,
but the strands are single and it has the nucleotide uracil (U) where
DNA has thymine (T).
- Types are Messenger RNA , Ribosomal RNA and Transfer RNA

Uracil is a nucleotide, much like adenine, guanine, thymine, and

cytosine, which are the building blocks of DNA, except uracil replaces
thymine in RNA. So uracil is the nucleotide that is found almost
exclusively in RNA.
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
DNA vs. RNA
• Nucleotides are organic molecules
consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate.
They serve as monomeric units of the
nucleic acid polymers deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of
which are essential biomolecules within all
life-forms on Earth.
 Components of Nucleotides
1. Nitrogen Bases
The nitrogenous base is the central
information carrying part of the
nucleotide structure. These
molecules, which have different
exposed functional groups, have
differing abilities to interact with
each other. 
• The nitrogen bases in nucleotides
consist of two general types:
- purines: adenine (A) and guanine
(G)
- pyrimidines: cytosine (C),
thymine (T) and Uracil (U)
2. Pentose Sugars

The second portion of the nucleotide

is the sugar. Regardless of the
nucleotide, the sugar is always the
same. The difference is between
DNA and RNA. In DNA, the 5-
carbon sugar is deoxyribose, while
in RNA, the 5-carbon sugar is
ribose. This gives genetic molecules
their names; the full name of DNA is
deoxyribonucleic acid, and RNA is
ribonucleic acid.
 3. Phosphate
The last part of nucleotide structure, the
phosphate group, is probably familiar
from another important molecule ATP.
Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the
energy molecule that most life on Earth
relies upon to store and transfer energy
between reactions. ATP contains three
phosphate groups, which can store a lot
of energy in their bonds.
 Primary Structure of Nucleic Acids

The primary structure of a nucleic acid is the nucleotide

sequence
• The nucleotides in nucleic acids are joined by
phosphodiester bonds
• The primary structure of the nucleic acid refers to the
sequence of its nucleotide bases, and the way these are
covalently bonded to each other. The sequence of “letters” in a
strand of DNA or RNA, then, is part of its primary structure, as
is the helical or double-helical shape.
Secondary Structure of Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acid secondary structure is the basepairing

interactions within a single nucleic acid polymer or between
two polymers. It can be represented as a list of bases which
are paired in a nucleic acid molecule. The secondary
structures of biological DNA's and RNA's tend to be different:
biological DNA mostly exists as fully base paired double
helices, while biological RNA is single stranded and often
forms complex and intricate base-pairing interactions due to its
increased ability to form hydrogen bonds stemming from the
extra hydroxyl group in the ribose sugar.
FOODS RICH IN NUCLEIC
ACIDS
Functions of Nucleic Acids
Application
Application
 Application

In vivo gene therapy means that therapy is administered directly

the patient. The targeted cells remain in the body of the patient.
With ex vivo gene/cell therapy the targeted cells are removed
from the patient and gene therapy is administered to the cells
in vitro before they are returned to the patient's body.

The replication of DNA is semi-conservative and depends on

complementary base pairing.
Transcription is the synthesis of mRNA copied from
the DNA base sequences by RNA polymerase. 
Translation is the synthesis of polypeptides on ribosomes.
 Diseases due to Errors in
Nucleic Acid Metabolism
1. Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome is a condition characterized by
neurological and behavioral abnormalities and the overproduction
of uric acid in the body. It occurs almost exclusively in males. Signs
and symptoms may include inflammatory arthritis (gout), kidney
stones, bladder stones, and moderate cognitive disability.

2. Hereditary Xanthinuria is a condition that most often affects the

kidneys. It is characterized by high levels of a compound called
xanthine and very low levels of another compound called uric acid
in the blood and urine. The excess xanthine can accumulate in the
kidneys and other tissues.

3. Orotic Aciduria (AKA hereditary orotic aciduria) is a disease

caused by an enzyme deficiency resulting in a decreased ability to
synthesize pyrimidines. Orotic aciduria is characterized by
excessive excretion of orotic acid in urine. It causes megaloblastic
anemia and may be associated with mental and physical
developmental delays.
4. Hypouricemia or hypouricaemia is a level of uric acid in blood
serum that is below normal. In humans, the normal range of this
blood component has a lower threshold set variously in the range
of 2 mg/dL to 4 mg/dL, while the upper threshold is 530 μmol/L (6
mg/dL) for women and 619 μmol/L (7 mg/dL) for men.\

5. Von Gierke’s disease is a condition in which the body cannot

break down glycogen. Glycogen is a form of sugar (glucose) that is
stored in the liver and muscles. It is normally broken down into
glucose to give you more energy when you need it. Von Gierke
disease is also called Type I glycogen storage disease (GSD I)

6. Reye’s Syndrome is a rare but serious condition that causes

swelling in the liver and brain. Reye's syndrome most often affects
children and teenagers recovering from a viral infection, most
commonly the flu or chickenpox.

Orotic acid is a pyrimidinedione and a carboxylic acid. Historically it was

believed to be part of the vitamin B complex and was called vitamin B13,
but it is now known that it is not a vitamin.