Blatant Biology

type of bond formed between a hydroxyl and phosphate group, making the backbone of many biological polymers (DNA, RNA)

large polymers found in all cells and viruses, made up of individual nucleotides

reaction mechanism where a strong nucleophile forms a new bond with an sp3-hybridised carbon, causing a leaving group to detach simultaneously

reaction mechanism with a nucleophile replacing a functional group on an electron-deficient molecule (an electrophile)

an atomic state with 5 bonds surround a central atom

the spontaneous hydrolysis of RNA, typically occuring in basic solutions where free hydroxides can deprotonate the hydroxide on the RNA; more likely with ssRNA

enzyme class catalysing the cleavage of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides in nucleic acids; essential for DNA repair and molecular biology (restriction digests, ...)

family of pyrimidine-specific endonucleases, frequently used in research and found abundantly in the pancreas of certain mammals

the process of an enzyme 'scanning' or moving along a piece of DNA to find its target

first restriction endonuclease isolated from E. coli, cleaving dsDNA at specific sites, frequently used in molecular biology

fifth restriction endonuclease isolated from E. coli, used in molecular biology to produce blunt ends

restriction endonuclease contraction

restriction enzyme using metal ion(s) to position water molecules to make an inline attack to a phosphate, after deprotonation

metal ions can be used to improve the catalytic activity of an enzyme by helping arrange everything correctly

a family of nucleases using conserved histidine and aspargine residues to interact with a metal ion, to facilitate phosphodiester bond cleavage