DNA: Structure (Edexcel A (SNAB) A Level Biology)

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Cara Head

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Cara Head

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DNA: Structure

  • The nucleic acid DNA is a polynucleotide – it is made up of many nucleotides bonded together in a long chain

DNA nucleotide with carbon numbers

DNA nucleotide

  • DNA molecules are made up of two polynucleotide strands lying side by side, running in opposite directions – the strands are said to be antiparallel
  • Each DNA polynucleotide strand is made up of alternating deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups bonded together to form the sugar-phosphate backbone. These bonds are covalent bonds known as phosphodiester bonds
    • The phosphodiester bonds link the 5-carbon of one deoxyribose sugar molecule to the phosphate group from the same nucleotide, which is itself linked by another phosphodiester bond to the 3-carbon of the deoxyribose sugar molecule of the next nucleotide in the strand
    • Each DNA polynucleotide strand is said to have a 3’ end and a 5’ end (these numbers relate to which carbon on the pentose sugar could be bonded with another nucleotide)
    • As the strands run in opposite directions (they are antiparallel), one is known as the 5’ to 3’ strand and the other is known as the 3’ to 5’ strand
  • The nitrogenous bases of each nucleotide project out from the backbone towards the interior of the double-stranded DNA molecule

A single DNA polynucleotide strand

A single DNA polynucleotide strand

Hydrogen bonding

  • The two antiparallel DNA polynucleotide strands that make up the DNA molecule are held together by hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases
  • These hydrogen bonds always occur between the same pairs of bases:
    • The purine adenine (A) always pairs with the pyrimidine thymine (T) – two hydrogen bonds are formed between these bases
    • The purine guanine (G) always pairs with the pyrimidine cytosine (C) – three hydrogen bonds are formed between these bases
    • This is known as complementary base pairing
    • These pairs are known as DNA base pairs

DNA molecule with hydrogen bonding

A section of DNA showing hydrogen bonding between base pairs

Double helix

  • DNA is not two-dimensional as seen in the diagram above
  • DNA is described as a double helix
  • This refers to the three-dimensional shape that DNA molecules form

DNA double helix formation

DNA molecules form a 3D double helix structure

Examiner Tip

Make sure you can name the different components of a DNA molecule (sugar-phosphate backbone, nucleotide, complementary base pairs, phosphodiester bonds, hydrogen bonds) and make sure you are able to locate these on a diagram.

Remember that phosphodiester bonds join the nucleotides in the sugar-phosphate backbone, and hydrogen bonds join the bases of the two complementary strands together.

Remember that the bases are complementary, so the number of A = T and C = G. You could be asked to determine how many bases are present in a DNA molecule if given the number of just one of the bases.

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Cara Head

Author: Cara Head

Expertise: Biology

Cara graduated from the University of Exeter in 2005 with a degree in Biological Sciences. She has fifteen years of experience teaching the Sciences at KS3 to KS5, and Psychology at A-Level. Cara has taught in a range of secondary schools across the South West of England before joining the team at SME. Cara is passionate about Biology and creating resources that bring the subject alive and deepen students' understanding