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Flip to reveal answersWhat is the monomer of DNA and RNA called?
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All 12 Flashcards — Nucleotides & DNA vs RNA
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Question
What is the monomer of DNA and RNA called?
Answer
A **nucleotide**.
Question
Define a nucleotide.
Answer
The monomer of a nucleic acid: a **phosphate group**, a **pentose sugar** and a **nitrogenous base** joined together.
Question
What are the three parts of a nucleotide?
Answer
A **phosphate group**, a **pentose (5-carbon) sugar**, and a **nitrogenous base**.
Question
Which sugar is in a DNA nucleotide?
Answer
**Deoxyribose**.
Question
Which sugar is in an RNA nucleotide?
Answer
**Ribose**.
Question
Which base is found in DNA but not RNA?
Answer
**Thymine (T)**.
Question
Which base is found in RNA but not DNA?
Answer
**Uracil (U)** — it replaces thymine.
Question
Which bases are found in both DNA and RNA?
Answer
**Adenine (A), cytosine (C) and guanine (G)**.
Question
How many strands does DNA have? And RNA?
Answer
DNA is **double**-stranded (two); RNA is **single**-stranded (one).
Question
Name the three structural differences between DNA and RNA.
Answer
**Sugar** (deoxyribose vs ribose), **one base** (thymine vs uracil), and **number of strands** (double vs single).
Question
What is a nitrogenous base?
Answer
The **information-carrying** part of a nucleotide — A, C, G and either T (DNA) or U (RNA).
Question
In a nucleotide, what does the sugar join to?
Answer
The sugar sits in the **middle** — joined to the **phosphate** on one side and the **base** on the other.
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Topic 1.2 hub
Nucleic acids
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