ORGANIZATION

OF DNA IN
CHROMOSOMES
 Organization of DNA in
Prokaryotic Chromosome

• circular chromosome is
contained in the
cytoplasm in an area
called the nucleoid.
 Organization of DNA in
Eukaryotic Chromosome

• all of the cell's

chromosomes are stored
inside a structure called
the nucleus.
• Histones - around nuclear proteins where
each eukaryotic chromosome is composed
of DNA coiled and condensed.
• Humans inherit one set of chromosomes
from their mother and a second set from
their father.
• 46 chromosomes with 22 pairs of
autosomes, or non-sex chromosomes, and
two sex-determining chromosomes.
• X and Y
• Females carry two X chromosomes
• Males carry one X and one Y
chromosome.
X and Y.

• Diploid and Haploid

• X-shaped structures.
DNA takes this form following DNA replication
during the process of cell division when the
two replicated chromosomes, called
chromatids, are highly condensed and still
attached to one another at a point called the
X and Y.

centromere. Human chromosomes can be

differentiated from one another under a
microscope by their lengths and by the
position of the centromere.
 DNA
REPLICATION
 • In the cell, both strands of the DNA duplex
are replicated at the same time. This
requires separation of the two strands of
the double helix to create two template
The replication fork moves continuously toward the duplex region of unreplicated DNA, leaving in its wake two ssDNA templates that each direct the synthesis of a complementary DNA strand

DNAS.
• The junction between the newly separated
template strands and the unreplicated
duplex DNA is known as the replication fork.
• The replication fork moves continuously toward
the duplex region of unreplicated DNA, leaving in
its wake two ssDNA templates that each direct
the synthesis of a complementary DNA strand
• all of the cell's
chromosomes are stored
• The antiparallel nature of DNA creates a
inside a structure called
complication for the simultaneous replication of
the nucleus.
the two exposed templates at the replication
fork.
• Because DNA is synthesized only by
elongating a 3' end, only one of the two
exposed templates can be replicated
continuously as the replication fork moves.

• On this template strand, the polymerase

simply "chases" the moving replication fork.
• The newly synthesized DNA strand
directed by this template is known as the
leading strand.

• Synthesis of the new DNA strand

directed by the other SSDNA template is
more complicated.
• This template directs the DNA polymerase to
move in the opposite direction of the
replication fork.
• The new DNA strand directed by this template
is known as the lagging strand.
• The strand of DNA must be synthesized in a
discontinuous fashion.
• Although the leading-strand DNA
polymerase can replicate its template as
soon as it is exposed, synthesis of the
lagging strand must wait for movement of
the replication fork to expose a substantial
length of template before it can be
replicated.
• Each time a substantial length of new
lagging-strand template is exposed,
DNA synthesis is initiated and continues
until it reaches the 5 end of the
previous newly synthesized stretch of
lagging strand DNA.
•The resulting short fragments of new
DNA formed on the lagging strand are
called Okazaki fragments and vary in
length from 1000 to 2000 nucleotides in
bacteria and from 100 to 400
nucleotides in eukaryotes.
• Shortly after being synthesized, Okazaki
fragments are covalently joined together
to generate a continuous, intact strand of
new DNA (see later discussion). Okazaki
fragments are therefore transient
intermediates in DNA replication.
 ERROR CORRECTION
IN DNA REPLICATION
• DNA polymerase Inserts a
wrong base.
• cancer
• Repair mchanisms
• mutations
• DNA polymerase
• proofreading
• Some errors are not corrected/
corrected ( during / after)
• more permanent
How do mismatch repair enzymes
recognize which of the two bases
is the incorrect one?
In mismatch repair, the incorrectly added
base is detected after replication. The
mismatch repair proteins detect this
base and remove it from the newly
synthesized strand by nuclease action.
The gap is now filled with the correctly
paired base.
In E coll, after replication, the nitrogenous
base adenine acquires a methyl group; the
parental DNA strand will have methyl groups,
whereas the newly-synthesized strand lacks
them. Thus, DNA polymerase is able to
remove the incorrectly-incorporated bases
from the newly- synthesized, non methylated
strand.
In eukaryotes, the mechanism is not very
well understood, but it is believed to
involve recognition of unsealed nicks in the
new strand, as well as a short-term
continuing association of some of the
replication proteins with the new daughter
strand after replication has been
completed.
FUN FACT
Human beings may look
different, but 99.9% of our
DNA is the same.
THANK YOU ♡