Name: _________________________________________
DNA MOLECULES
DNA STRUCTURE
DNA was first observed by a German biochemist named Frederich Miescher in 1869. But for
many years, researchers did not realize the importance of this molecule. It was not until 1953 that
James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin figured out the structure
of DNA — a double helix — which they realized could carry biological information.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a molecule that contains the instructions an organism needs
to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell, and are passed
down from parents to their children.
DNA is made up of molecules called nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains a phosphate group, a
sugar group and a nitrogen base. The four types of nitrogen bases are adenine (A), thymine (T),
guanine (G) and cytosine (C). The order of these bases is what determines DNA's instructions, or
genetic code. Human DNA has around 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of those bases
are the same in all people, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).
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A. DIRECTIONS: Identify or supply the word or group of words that complete the sentence
in each item. Write your answer on the blanks.
1. What do the letters DNA stand for?
_____________________________________
2. Four scientists are given credit for discovering the structure
of DNA. What are the name of those two scientists?
a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________
d. _______________________________
3. DNA is a polymer, which means that is made up of many
repeating single units (monomers). What are the monomers called?
_______________________________
4. The “backbone” of the DNA molecule is made up of two components, what are these?
a. __________________________
b. __________________________
5. There are four different variations of these monomers (four different bases), what are the na
mes of those bases?
a. _____________________________ c. _______________________________
b. _____________________________ d. _______________________________
6. These bases are of two different types of molecules: purines and pyrimides. Purines have
______________ ring(s) in their structure, and pyrimidines have ______________ring(s) in t
heir structure.
7. The two bases that are purines are:
a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________
8. The two bases that are pyrimidines are:
a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________
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9. Chargaff’s rule states that the DNA of any species contains equal amounts of __________
and _______________ and also equal amounts of _______________ and_____________.
10. Based on this information, scientist could predict that the base _____________________
pairs with _______________ and the base _____________ pairs with _______________
in the formation of the DNA molecule.
This is called complementary base pairs. Thus one strand of DNA is complementary to the oth
er strand (opposite/matching).
11. The bases are paired by _______________________ bonds along the axis of the molecule.
12. Wilkins and Franklin studied the structure of DNA using ,
a technique to examine molecules, and helped Watson and Crick determine that the shape
of the molecule was a __________ ____________.
13. Write the complementary sequence to following DNA strand:
A A T T C G C C G G T A T T A G A C G T T
14. Use the image at the right to complete the following:
A. Circle a nucleotide.
B. Label the sugar and phosphate.
C. Label the bases that are not already labeled
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