1. Friedrich Miescher first isolated nucleic acid from cell nuclei in 1869, naming it "nuclein" due to its acidic properties. 2. There are two main types of nucleic acid: DNA and RNA. DNA is found in the nucleus and mitochondria/chloroplasts, while RNA is found throughout the cell. 3. DNA provides circumstantial evidence for its role as the genetic material, as its amount is constant in somatic cells and halves in gametes, and its absorption of UV light corresponds to mutagenic effects.

1. THE NUCLEIC
ACIDS
Tapeshwar Yadav
(Lecturer)
BMLT, DNHE,
M.Sc. Medical Biochemistry

2. Friedrich Miescher in 1869
 isolated what he called nuclein from the nuclei of
pus cells
 Nuclein was shown to have acidic properties,
hence it became called nucleic acid

3. Two types of nucleic acid are
found
 Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
 Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

4. The distribution of nucleic
acids in the eukaryotic cell
 DNA is found in the nucleus
with small amounts in mitochondria and chloroplasts
 RNA is found throughout the cell

5. DNA as genetic material: The
circumstantial evidence
1. Present in all cells and virtually restricted to the nucleus
2. The amount of DNA in somatic cells (body cells) of any given
species is constant (like the number of chromosomes)
3. The DNA content of gametes (sex cells) is half that of somatic
cells.
In cases of polyploidy (multiple sets of chromosomes) the DNA
content increases by a proportional factor
4. The mutagenic effect of UV light peaks at 253.7nm. The peak for
the absorption of UV light by DNA

6. NUCLEIC ACID STRUCTURE
 Nucleic acids are polynucleotides
 Their building blocks are nucleotides

7. NUCLEOTIDE STRUCTURE
PHOSPATE SUGAR
Ribose or
Deoxyribose
NUCLEOTIDE
BASE
PURINES PYRIMIDINES
Adenine (A)
Guanine(G)
Cytocine (C)
Thymine (T)
Uracil (U)

8. Ribose is a pentose
C1
C5
C4
C3 C2
O

9. RIBOSE DEOXYRIBOSE
CH2OH
H
OH
C
C
OH OH
C
O
H HH
C
CH2OH
H
OH
C
C
OH H
C
O
H HH
C
Spot the difference

10. THE SUGAR-
PHOSPHATE
BACKBONE
 The nucleotides are all
orientated in the same direction
 The phosphate group joins the 3rd
Carbon of one sugar to the 5th
Carbon of the next in line.
P
P
P
P
P
P

11. ADDING IN THE BASES
 The bases are attached
to the 1st
Carbon
 Their order is important
It determines the
genetic information of
the molecule
P
P
P
P
P
P
G
C
C
A
T
T

12. DNA IS MADE OF
TWO STRANDS OF
POLYNUCLEOTIDE
P
P
P
P
P
P
C
G
G
T
A
A
P
P
P
P
P
P
G
C
C
A
T
T
Hydrogen bonds

13. DNA IS MADE OF TWO STRANDS OF
POLYNUCLEOTIDE
 The sister strands of the DNA molecule run in opposite
directions (antiparallel)
 They are joined by the bases
 Each base is paired with a specific partner:
A is always paired with T
G is always paired with C
Purine with Pyrimidine
 This the sister strands are complementary but not
identical
 The bases are joined by hydrogen bonds, individually
weak but collectively strong

14. Erwin Chargaff’s Data (1950-51)

15. Wilkins & Franklin (1952): X-ray
crystallography

16. Purines & Pyrimidines
Adenine
CytosineGuanine
Thymine

17. Watson & Crick Base pairing

18. The Double Helix (1953)
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