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Monday, September 10, 2012

Monday's Molecule #185

Last week's molecule was warfarin, a rat poison with another role [Monday's Molecule #184]. The winner was Matt McFarlane.

This week we're in the middle of the ENCODE/junk DNA controversy. A dispute that reveals a serious lack of knowledge of fundamental concepts in biochemistry. I'm going to go back to basics today and ask you to name these four molecules. Be careful, I'm going to insist that you use the correct unambiguous names. Name them in order from upper left to upper right to lower left then lower right.

Post your answer as a comment. I'll hold off releasing any comments for 24 hours. The first one with the correct answer wins. I will only post mostly correct answers to avoid embarrassment. The winner will be treated to a free lunch.

There could be two winners. If the first correct answer isn't from an undergraduate student then I'll select a second winner from those undergraduates who post the correct answer. You will need to identify yourself as an undergraduate in order to win. (Put "undergraduate" at the bottom of your comment.)

Some past winners are from distant lands so their chances of taking up my offer of a free lunch are slim. (That's why I can afford to do this!)

In order to win you must post your correct name. Anonymous and pseudoanonymous commenters can't win the free lunch.

Winners will have to contact me by email to arrange a lunch date. Please try and beat the regular winners. Most of them live far away and I'll never get to take them to lunch. This makes me sad.

Comments are now open.

UPDATE: The molecules are deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine. This week's winner is Matt Talarico. Matt should contact me by email.

Winners
Nov. 2009: Jason Oakley, Alex Ling
Oct. 17: Bill Chaney, Roger Fan
Oct. 24: DK
Oct. 31: Joseph C. Somody
Nov. 7: Jason Oakley
Nov. 15: Thomas Ferraro, Vipulan Vigneswaran
Nov. 21: Vipulan Vigneswaran (honorary mention to Raul A. Félix de Sousa)
Nov. 28: Philip Rodger
Dec. 5: 凌嘉誠 (Alex Ling)
Dec. 12: Bill Chaney
Dec. 19: Joseph C. Somody
Jan. 9: Dima Klenchin
Jan. 23: David Schuller
Jan. 30: Peter Monaghan
Feb. 7: Thomas Ferraro, Charles Motraghi
Feb. 13: Joseph C. Somody
March 5: Albi Celaj
March 12: Bill Chaney, Raul A. Félix de Sousa
March 19: no winner
March 26: John Runnels, Raul A. Félix de Sousa
April 2: Sean Ridout
April 9: no winner
April 16: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
April 23: Dima Klenchin, Deena Allan
April 30: Sean Ridout
May 7: Matt McFarlane
May 14: no winner
May 21: no winner
May 29: Mike Hamilton, Dmitri Tchigvintsev
June 4: Bill Chaney, Matt McFarlane
June 18: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
June 25: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 2: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 16: Sean Ridout, William Grecia
July 23: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
July 30: Bill Chaney and Raul A. Félix de Sousa
Aug. 7: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
Aug. 13: Matt McFarlane
Aug. 20: Stephen Spiro
Aug. 27: Raul A. Félix de Sousa
Sept. 3: Matt McFarlane
Sept. 10: Matt Talarico


10 comments :

Matt Talarico said...

Deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine.

[undergraduate at McMaster]

Anonymous said...

deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine

dseto said...

deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine

Anonymous said...

(Top left to bottom right)

deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine
deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine

Jim Stewart (non-undergrad).

Mikkel Rumraket Rasmussen said...

These are the four, non-phosphorylated monomers of DNA, known collectively as Deoxyribonucleotides.
Top left: Deoxyadenosine
Top right: Deoxyguanosine
Bottom left: Deoxycytidine
Bottom right: Deoxythymidine

Not an undergraduate, and from europe.

Arek Wittbrodt said...

Deoxyadenosine
Deoxyguanosine
Deoxycytidine
Deoxythymidine

Arek Wittbrodt

Allan Miller said...

The nucleosides

2'-deoxyadenosine,
2'-deoxyguanosine,
2'-deoxycytidine,
2'-deoxythymidine

Forming the DNA bases A, G, C, T, when linked by phosphodiester bonds between the 3' and 5' carbons of the pentose ring.

96well said...

the four nucleosides
Deoxyadenosine
Deoxyguanosine
Deoxycytidine
Deoxythymidine

Allen MacNeill said...

2'-deoxyadenosine (), 2'-deoxyguanosine, 2'-deoxycytidine, 2'-deoxythymidine

Bill Chaney said...

Or, if you want to go really old school (Larry knows this, I am sure.), the last compound was called thymidine, not deoxythymidine, since it is the natural biological form of this compound in DNA.

And, more accurate names might be:

9-Beta-D-2-deoxyribofuranosyladenine
9-Beta-D-2-deoxyribofuranosylguanine
1-Beta-D-2-deoxyribofuranosylcytosine
1-Beta-D-2-deoxyribofuranosylthymine