{"id":8535,"date":"2013-11-18T15:40:26","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T15:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=8535"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:34:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:34:48","slug":"nucleic-acids","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/nucleic-acids\/","title":{"rendered":"Nucleic Acids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_Icx3M27PuD8\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_Icx3M27PuD8\" data-source-videoID=\"Icx3M27PuD8\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Nucleic Acids Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Nucleic Acids\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_Icx3M27PuD8:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_Icx3M27PuD8 {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/728-nucleic-acids-2.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_Icx3M27PuD8\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Icx3M27PuD8\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Nucleic Acids\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Icx3M27PuD8\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Icx3M27PuD8\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Icx3M27PuD8\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction glQ_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"glQ\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"glQ_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"glQ\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nucleic_Acid_Structure\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nucleic Acid Structure<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nucleosides\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nucleosides<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nitrogenous_Bases\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nitrogenous Bases<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nucleotides\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nucleotides<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Sugar_Phosphate_Backbone\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Sugar Phosphate Backbone<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nucleic_Acid_Structure_1\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nucleic Acid Structure<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Nucleic_Acids_in_DNA_vs_RNA\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Nucleic Acids in DNA vs. RNA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Function_of_Nucleic_Acids\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Function of Nucleic Acids<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label><input id=\"FAQs\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"FAQs\">FAQs<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hey, guys! Welcome to this video on nucleic acids. In this video, we\u2019ll cover what nucleic acids are and what they\u2019re made of.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nucleic_Acid_Structure\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nucleic Acid Structure<\/h2>\n<p>\nNucleic acids are what make up our genetic material. To know how and why they go together to form structures like the famed <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/dna\/\">DNA<\/a> double-strand helix, it helps to understand their shape and what goes into them.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nucleosides\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nucleosides<\/h2>\n<p>\nTo get started, the basic component of DNA and RNA is a nucleoside. This is made from a cyclic sugar and a nitrogenous base, bound by a glycosidic link. In DNA and RNA, this is a covalent bond between the 1\u2032 nitrogen for pyrimidines or 9\u2032 nitrogen in purines and the 1\u2032 carbon in the sugar, either ribose or deoxyribose.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nitrogenous_Bases\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nitrogenous Bases<\/h2>\n<p>\nIn nucleic acids, the nitrogenous bases, also called nucleobases, are what pair up to form the <strong>base pairs<\/strong>. These pairs are formed between a <strong>purine<\/strong> and a <strong>pyrimidine<\/strong>. Pyrimidines are single carbon-nitrogen rings, while purines are pyrimidines fused to an imidazole ring to make a double ring.<\/p>\n<p>The nitrogenous bases seen here have hydrogen bonding between each other, which holds the nucleic acid strand together.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nucleotides\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nucleotides<\/h2>\n<p>\nSo now we know what makes up nucleosides, but we\u2019re still short of having our nucleic acid. Next comes the phosphate group. When the sugar of a nucleoside is linked to one or more phosphate groups, you get a nucleotide. These are connected by an ester linkage \u2014 oxygen covalently bound between two chains (in this case, the phosphorus atom in a phosphate group and the 5\u2019 carbon of a nucleoside, or even another phosphate group). <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Sugar_Phosphate_Backbone\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Sugar Phosphate Backbone<\/h2>\n<p>\nWhen our nucleotides are bound together from the 3\u2019 carbon on one nucleotide\u2019s sugar to the phosphate group on the 5\u2019 end of a different nucleotide, we start forming a strand that is referred to as the sugar-phosphate backbone (of DNA and RNA). When our nucleotides are connected in a long chain like this, we refer to it as a nucleic acid \u2014 either DNA or RNA, but we\u2019ll cover some differences on those shortly.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nucleic_Acid_Structure\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nucleic Acid Structure<\/h2>\n<p>\nNow that we\u2019re finally at nucleic acids, one important thing to note is how the nucleotides stack together. When the nucleic acids are connected at their base pairs, they don\u2019t stay straight and rigid like a ladder, how we sometimes see nucleic acids illustrated to read base sequences \u2014 instead it naturally forms a helical structure, like a spiral staircase. This is its tertiary structure, the 3D form it takes as a result of everything it\u2019s made from. This form leaves it the least open to water within the <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/introduction-to-cellular-biology\/\">cell<\/a>, by having two strands connected to the bases, and twisted to further reduce open space to water. Perhaps the most noticeable feature is that it\u2019s not a symmetrical helix. The nucleic acids double helix features a major groove and a minor groove, referring to the larger and smaller gaps between the edges of the sugar-phosphate backbone. The major groove is where most activity takes place, like polymerases binding to create RNA templates, also known as messenger RNA (mRNA).<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Nucleic_Acids_in_DNA_vs_RNA\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nucleic Acids in DNA vs. RNA<\/h2>\n<p>\nSo when talking about nucleic acids, there are just a couple of things to note. We first have to consider whether we\u2019re talking about DNA or RNA. We learned that in general nucleic acids there are chains comprised of a nitrogenous base, a phosphate group, and a sugar. In DNA, that sugar is 2-deoxyribose, providing DNA its name: <strong>D<\/strong>eoxyribo<strong>n<\/strong>ucleic <strong>A<\/strong>cid. In RNA, that sugar is ribose, making it a <strong>R<\/strong>ibo<strong>n<\/strong>ucleic <strong>A<\/strong>cid. The difference between these two is the presence of a hydroxyl group on the 2-carbon in ribose, which is absent in 2-deoxyribose. Aside from the sugar used in its structure, there\u2019s also one other important difference: the nitrogenous base. DNA uses thymine whereas RNA uses uracil, both of which pair with adenine. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Function_of_Nucleic_Acids\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Function of Nucleic Acids<\/h2>\n<p>\nSo what role do these nucleic acids actually serve? We mentioned before that nucleic acids are the genetic material in our cells. How this works is that the order of bases (adenine, thymine\/uracil, guanine, and cytosine) in nucleic acids creates a readable code, to be eventually turned into proteins. This process of taking a nucleic acid and making a protein is referred to collectively as transcription and translation. Transcription takes the DNA in our cells and unzips it, to create a matching strand of RNA. Translation is when the matching RNA strand is then transported to a ribosome where the bases are read in sets of 3 (or triplets) to bring specific amino acids to the ribosome, forming a chain of amino acids \u2014 the most basic structure of proteins.<\/p>\n<p>I hope this video on nucleic acids was helpful. See you guys next time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"FAQs-spoiler\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\"><span id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-list\">\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is a nucleic acid?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Nucleic acids are macromolecules that are composed of nucleotides.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is the monomer of nucleic acids?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>The monomer of nucleic acids are nucleotides.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is the function of nucleic acids?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Nucleic acids store information and energy and are also important catalysts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">Is DNA a nucleic acid?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>DNA, or deoxyribnucleic acid, is one of the two main classes of nucleic acids along with RNA<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/chemistry\/\">Return to Chemistry Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Chemistry Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99799,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-8535","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-chemistry-macromolecules-videos","7":"page_type-video","8":"subject_matter-science"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8535"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280985,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8535\/revisions\/280985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}