Hello!!!

Have you ever wondered why you look like your parents and why your hair is
blonde, brown or black?

Do you know what makes your biological characteristics different than those of your
friends, parents, and siblings?

How about mutation? Can this make you a superhero? This can be understood by learning
more about DNA.

DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is a molecule

which contains all the instructions that an organism
requires to develop, live and reproduce. In every cell in
our body, these instructions are found and are passed
down from parents to their offspring.

DNA was first found in the nucleus that’s why

it is called a nucleic acid. Now, we know that DNA is
also found in some of the cell organelles such as the
chloroplasts and mitochondria. All the cell’s activity
are controlled in the nucleus where the DNA is found.

DNA is made up of molecules called

nucleotides. Nucleotides are the basic building
blocks of DNA. Each nucleotide is composed of a
sugar group (deoxyribose), phosphate group and a
nitrogenous base. The shape of the DNA is a double
helix, which is like a twisted ladder. Each side of a
ladder is composed of alternating sugar molecules and phosphate molecules. There are four types of
nitrogenous bases- adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). Adenine will only bond with
thymine, while guanine will only bond with cytosine. Along a DNA strand, these bases can occur in any
order. The cell’s instructions are coded by the order of these bases. Millions of bases are found in a strand
of DNA.

Like DNA, another type of nucleic acid is called RNA

(Ribonucleic Acid) but they differ in structure. RNA is single
stranded. It is found mainly in the cytoplasm of the cell. The
sugar in RNA is called ribose. They both contain four
nitrogenous bases. In RNA, guanine (G) is paired with
cytosine (C), on the other hand, instead of thymine, adenine
(A) is paired with uracil (U). There are three major types of
RNA: messenger RNA (mRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA),
and transfer RNA (tRNA).

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Objective: Compare the DNA and RNA structure.

Directions: Complete the table showing the comparison between DNA and RNA structures.

Types of Sugar Number of Location in the Nitrogenous Base

Strands cell Pairs

DNA

RNA

Guide Questions:

1. What are the three main components of DNA and RNA molecules?

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2. What are the differences between DNA and RNA based on their structures?

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 PAIR ME UP!
Objective: Explain the complementary structure of DNA and RNA using a template.

Directions A: Identify and draw the complementary sequence of bases in the other strand

of DNA.

Figure: Two strands of DNA

Direction B: Given the DNA code sequence below, identify the corresponding RNA code sequence and write
them side by side.

Guide Questions:

1. What are the four nitrogenous bases of DNA?

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2. Which nitrogenous base is found in DNA but cannot be found in RNA?

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