Nucleic Acids & Fertility Rates (Human Body Science)

Fertility rates refer to the average number of children women will have during their childbearing years, which are between the ages of 15 and 44.

Fertility rates are significant because they coincide with the replacement rate; which is the number of births needed to maintain the population at its current number.

Defined by the number of births per 1,000 people per year

Defined by the number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.

Primarily DNA and RNA; the job of nucleic acids is to store and transmit hereditary information.

Structurally, a nucleic acid is a chain of nucleotides that consist of: - pentose -phosphate group and- nitrogenous base.

A pentose is a type of sugar.

A molecule in the backbone of DNA and RNA that link adjoining bases together.

A nitrogenous base is a molecule found in DNA and RNA that encodes genetic information in cells.

Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, Thymine, Uracil

Uracil

Adenine (A) – Thymine (T) Guanine (G) – Cytosine (C)

Purines make up 2 of the 4 nitrogenous bases in DNA and RNA and have two carbon rings. Purines = Adenine & Guanine (A&G)

Pyramidines only have one carbon ring. Pyramidines= cytosine, thymine, and uracil

DNA: • In DNA, the pentose sugar is Deoxyribose • The nitrogenous bases found in DNA are adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. • A – T / G – C • DNA has a double-helix structure • Contains hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus RNA: • In RNA, the pentose sugar is ribose • The nitrogenous bases found in RNA are adenine, guanine, uracil, and cytosine. • A – U / G – C • RNA has a single strand of nucleotide • Contains hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus

RNA acts as the messenger and decoder for DNA in order to synthesize proteins and does so by using three forms: Messenger RNA / Ribosomal RNA / Transfer RNA

DNA⇒ Transcription ⇒ Translation ⇒ Protein Synthesis

It is a relatively long strand of nucleotides that look like “half DNA” molecules. mRNA carries a transcript of the code to the cytoplasm, where protein synthesis occurs.

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) rRNA is ribosomes that are made up of two subunits – one small and one large. They combine to make a functional ribosome along with protein that are literally the sites of protein synthesis.

Ferry amino acids to ribosomes where they decode mRNA’s message for amino acid sequence in the polypeptide to be built.

The process in which DNA’s information is encoded into mRNA.

The process after transcription in which the information carried by mRNA is decoded and used to make polypeptides (protein)

The rules by which a base sequence of a gene is translated into an amino acid sequence.

For every three-base sequence of DNA there is a corresponding three-base sequence of mRNA which is what makes up a codon.