DNA

• DNA the instruction book of

life.

How to Read the Manual !

•
 DNA is wrapped and coiled
tightly to form chromosomes
 Chromatid

Sister
Chromatin Chromatid

Chromosomes 4
 Cell

Nucleus

Chromosome
Chromatid / Chromatin

Allele / Gene
What is a chromosome? 5:02

DNA
A T
C G
Structure and function of
DNA

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 Genetic material of
cells…
• GENES – units of genetic material
(DNA) that CODE FOR A SPECIFIC
TRAIT - Proteins.

• Called NUCLEIC ACIDS

• DNA is made up of repeating

molecules called NUCLEOTIDES
 AMAZING DNA FACTS…
• DNA from a single
human cell extends in a
single thread for
almost 2 meters long!!!

• It contains information
equal to some 600,000
printed pages of 500
words each!!!
(a library of about 1,000
books)
 DNA by the Numbers
• Each cell has about
2 m of DNA.
• The average human
has 75 trillion cells.
• The average human
has enough DNA to
go from the earth to
the sun more than The earth is 150 billion m
400 times. or 93 million miles from
• DNA has a diameter the sun.
of only 0.000000002
m. 9
 The Shape of the
Molecule
• DNA is a very long
polymer.
• The basic shape is
like a twisted
ladder or spiral.
• This is called a
double helix.
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 Discovering the structure of DNA

• Structure was discovered in 1953 by

James
Watson and Francis Crick

Rosalind
Franklin’s DNA
image
Discovering the structure of DNA

• DNA = Deoxyribose nucleic

• acid
Made out of sugars (deoxyribose),
phosphates and nitrogen bases
 The Basics
• Each side of the
ladder is made
up of nucleic
acids.
• The backbone is
a phosphate
and a sugar
• The rung going
across the
ladder is the
nitrogen base.
14
 One Strand of DNA
• The backbone phospha
te
of the
molecule is
alternating Deoxyribose
phosphates Sugar
and
deoxyribose
sugar
bases
• The rungs are
nitrogenous
15
bases.
 A= adenine
4 Types of nitrogen bases G= guanine
C= cytosine
T= thymine

16
DNA structure
 One Strand of DNA
• One strand of DNA nucleotid
e
is a polymer of
nucleotides.
• A nucleotide is the
smallest unit of
DNA.
• One strand of DNA
has many millions
of nucleotides.
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 DNA Nucleotide
Phosphate
Group

O 5
O=P-O CH2
O
O
N
Nitrogenous base
C4 C
1
(A, G, C, or T)
Sugar
(deoxyribose)
C3 C2
Nucleotides

20
 Two Stranded DNA
• Remember,
DNA has two
strands that
fit together
something
like a zipper.
• The teeth are
the
nitrogenous
bases but why
do they stick
together? 21
 DNA Double Helix
5
O 3

3
O
P 5 P
5
O
1 G C 3
2
4 4
2 1
3 5
O
P P
5
T A 3

O
5
P 3 P
23
 Chargaff’s Rule
• Adenine must pair with Thymine
• Guanine must pair with Cytosine
• Their amounts in a given DNA molecule
will be about the same.

T A G C
Four nitrogenous bases
DNA has four different bases:
• Cytosine C
• Thymine T
• Adenine A
• Guanine G

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 Types of nitrogen bases
• A= adenine
• G= guanine
• C= cytosine
• T= thymine
 Chargraff’s Rule:
• Adenine and Thymine
always join together
A T
• Cytosine and Guanine
always join together
C G

T A G C
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 Important
• Adenine and
Thymine always join
together
A -- T
• Cytosine and
Guanine always join
together
BASE-PAIRINGS
H-bonds

G C

T A
A---?
G---? A---T
G---C
C---? C---G
T---? T---A
A---? A---T
G---? G---C
A---T
A---? G---C
G---? C---G
C---? A---T
G---C
A---? T---A
G---?
T---?
 Nucleotides
One deoxyribose together
with its phosphate and
base make a nucleotide.
O
O -P O
O Nitrogenous
O base
Phosphate
C

C
C

C C

ODeoxyribose 31
 Genetic Diversity…
• Different
arrangements of
NUCLEOTIDES in
a nucleic acid
(DNA) provides
the key to
DIVERSITY
among living
organisms.
 The Code of Life…
• The “code” of the chromosome is the
SPECIFIC ORDER that bases occur.

A T C G T A T G C G G…
 The “Code of Life”,
Written in DNA, gives
The instructions for
Making every protein
In an organism.

Every 3 nucleotides
Codes for a different
Amino acid.

There are 27,000 to 2 million base pairs in a strand

Of human DNA. Approximately 3 Billion base pairs
In all 23 pairs of chromosomes !! 34
35
DNA Structure Model

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37
Do 1 side of DNA strand first then…..
Flip and do match.
Use stars, dots, and squares

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