DNA

DNA:
Structure and Function

A
N
D

The
First
threeLife
Instruction
Manual
Deoxyribose
Nucleic
The Molecule
Blueprint
of
LifeAcid
The
of
dimensional
Heredity
The
Architect of Life
xerox machine

DNA

Why Study DNA?

To truly understand genetics, biologists first had
to discover the chemical structure of the gene
This would then help them understand how genes
control the inherited characteristics of living
things
Gene expression is what
enables cells of the same
organism to take on so many
different sizes, shapes and
functions
(even though just about every
cell in an individual contains
the same DNA)

Review
1. What organelle is known as the
control center of the cell?
nucleus
2. What structures are found in the nucleus?
chromosomes
3. What are short segments of chromosomes?
genes
4. What are genes/chromosomes composed of?
DNA
5. How do genes/chromosomes control the
activity of the cell?
produce proteins that
regulate cell functions and become cell structures

Review

History
1869 - Friedrich Miescher discovered DNA in
nucleus
1928 - Frederick Griffith Identified DNA as source of
genetic material using bacteria
1930s - Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod and Maclyn
McCarty - Confirmed that genes made of DNA
1950 - Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase confirmed
DNA is the biochemical of heredity using
radioactive markers bacteriophages
1952- Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin X-rayed
DNA to show repeating
nucleotide
X-ray
of doublestructure
helix
1953- James Watson and Francis Crick combined
Oswald Avery
Maclyn McCarty
data
Rosalind Franklin
Alfredthe
Hershey
to create a 3-D model
structure called
Martha
Chase
James
Watson
Francisof
Crick
Frederick Griffith
double helix

Watson-Crick
Model

DNA Structure

Is a polymer of 1000s of
nucleotide monomers
Is a double strand of
covalently bonded
nucleotides in twisted ladder shape
twisted ladder shape = double helix

DNA
Shape
Double helix: 2 spirals wound around
each other

But joined in
the middle

DNA Structure
Is a polymer of 1000s of
nucleotide monomers
Is a double strand of Sugar
Phosphat
covalently bonded e
Backbone
nucleotides in twisted ladder shape
twisted ladder shape = double helix
Rungs of ladder = nitrogen bases
Sides of ladder = sugar & phosphate
groups (also called the DNA backbone)

Nucleotide
Nucleotide- Individual unit of DNA.
Made of three parts:
Deoxyribose (5-carbon sugar)
Phosphate group
A nitrogen-containing base

Bases
Four nitrogen-containing bases
Adenine
Guanine
Cytosine
Thymine
sugar
(deoxyribose)
sugar

sugar
sugar
(deoxyribose)
(deoxyribose)
(deoxyribose)
sugar
(deoxyribose)

adenine
A
adenine
base with a
A
adenine
adenine
double-ring
base with
AA a
structure
adenine
base
withaa
double-ring
base
with
A
double-ring
double-ring
structure
base with a
structure
structure
double-ring
structure

guanine
guanine
(G) guanine
guanine
(G)
guanine
(G)
(G) a
basebase
withwith
a(G)
base
base
withaaa
double-ring
base with
with
double-ring
double-ring
double-ring
double-ring
structure
structure
structure
structure
structure

thymine
(T)
thymine
base
with a
(T)
thymine
thymine
single-ring
base (T)
with
(T) a
structure
thymine

single-ring
basewith
withaa
base
(T)
single-ring
structure
single-ring
base
with a
structure
structure
single-ring
structure

cytosine
cytosine
(C)
cytosine
cytosine
(C)
cytosine
(C)
base
with
base(C)
with
(C) aa
base
base
with
single-ring
base with
withaaa
single-ring
single-ring
single-ring
single-ring
structure
structure
structure
structure
structure

Bases

Adenine
double ringed =
Guanine
Thymine
single ringed =
Cytosine

purines

pyrimidines

Nucleotide
Deoxyribose (like ribose)
P
base
is a sugar with 5 carbon
atoms in a ring
sugar
Oxygen is one of the ring
members
In Deoxyribose, one of the OH groups is missing
and replaced with hydrogen
Thus deoxy =
- 1 oxygen

OH

Nucleotide
P - the Phosphate group
P
Is important because it
links the sugar on one
sugar
nucleotide with the phosphate
of the next nucleotide to make
a polynucleotide
Nucleotides are connected to each other
via a covalent bond

base

Base Pairing Rule

Bases are paired together in specific
manner
Because of chemical structure and shape
Adenine only pairs with Thymine
Guanine only pairs with Cytosine
Exactly enough room for only one purine
and one pyramide base between the
two strands of DNA

Base Pairing Rule

Bases held together in rungs by
weak hydrogen bonds
2 hydrogen bonds between A & T
3 hydrogen bonds between C & G

DNA

DNA Function
Scientists wondered how DNA worked.
They knew genes do these critical things:
Carry information from one generation to
another
Put information to work to determine an
organisms characteristics
Can be easily copied
Store and transmit genetic information
needed for all cell functions
In order to do these things it had to be a
special molecule!

Understanding DNA

Our knowledge of DNA put to use:

Inheritance/ Genetic Counseling
Cell function/protein synthesis
Embryonic development/gene regulation
Evolution/ phylogenetic relationships
Medicine/genetic diseases
Genetic engineering/ recombinant DNA

DNAs Size
To get an idea of the size of the human genome
present in each of our cells, consider the following
analogy: If the DNA sequence of the human
genome were compiled in books, the equivalent
of 200 volumes the size of a Manhattan telephone
book (at 1,000 pages each) would be needed to
hold it all. It would take about 9.5 years to read
out loud (without stopping) the 3 billion bases in
one person's genome sequence, calculated on
a reading rate of 10 bases per second, equaling
600 bases/minute, 36,000 bases/hour,
864,000 bases/day, 315,360,000 bases/year.
Human Genome Project

A
C

DNA

How Am I
Packaged?
Nitrogen bases
1. Are like letters in the
code
2. Put them in different
order
make a different gene

DNA
Package

CAT

HA
T

DOG

Genes

1. Are like words made up of

letters
2. A group of nitrogen bases
that
makes sense
3. Tells the cell to do something

The cat
sat.
DNA One dog
Package ate.
The big
hat.
DNA strand

1. Are like sentences made up of

words
2. A long line of genes on each
DNA
strand

DNA
Package
Chromosomes
1. Are like books full of sentences
2. DNA strand twists around and
around itself

DNA
Package

Nucleus
1. Is like a bookcase
2. Inside the cell, where all the
chromosomes are stored

DNA
Package

So what would a library full of rows

and
rows of bookcases represent?
many cells together
which is a tissue