DNA and Genetics

Prepared By: Ms. Jerelyn Buenafe

What do you
think?
Before you read, decide if you
agree or disagree with each of these
statements.
 Any condition present at birth
is genetic.
 A change in the sequence of an
organism’s DNA always
changes the organism’s trait.
Learning Targets

At the end of the lesson

you should be able to:
 Differentiate DNA
and RNA
 Identify the four
nucleotides of DNA
 Differentiate the
types of mutations
 The Structure of DNA

DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid)
 This chemical substance is present in the nucleus
of all cells in all living organisms
 controls all the chemical changes which take
place in cells
 is a very large molecule made up of a long chain
of sub-units (NUCLEOTIDES)
 Each nucleotide is made up
of :
• a sugar called deoxyribose
• a phosphate group -PO4 and
• an organic base
Ribose is a sugar, like glucose, but with only
five carbon atoms in its molecule
Deoxyribose is almost the same but lacks one
oxygen atom

Both molecules may be represented by the

symbol
 A complex molecule
 DNA is like a twisted zipper-
double helix
 Rosalind Franklin and Maurice
Wilkins- used X-rays to study DNA
 James Watson and Francis Crick-
build a model of DNA
 Erwin Chargaff- discovered
chemical information about DNA
Four Nucleotides Shape DNA
The deoxyribose, the phosphate and one of the bases

Combine to form a nucleotide

PO4

adenine

deoxyribose
 5
The bases
The most common organic bases are

Adenine (A)

Thymine (T)

Cytosine (C)

Guanine (G)
Joined nucleotides 7

PO4

A molecule of DNA is
PO4 formed by millions of
nucleotides joined
together in a long
PO4
chain

PO4

sugar-phosphate
+ bases
backbone
Bonding 1 10

The bases always pair up in the same way

Adenine forms a bond with Thymine

Adenine Thymine

and Cytosine bonds with Guanine

Cytosine Guanine
Pairing up 12
PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4 PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4

PO4
PO4
 REPLICATION
• The process of copying a DNA molecule to
make another DNA molecule
• • Each chain of nucleotides serves as a
template for a new, complimentary,
strand
• • Helicase – the enzyme complex that
separates nucleotide chains of DNA
• • The point of separation is called the
replication fork
• • DNA polymerase – enzyme that allows
complimentary nucleotides to build the
complimentary chains
• • 5 prime to 3 prime direction
• • Replication runs in opposite directions
 16
STEPS OF replication
• Before a cell divides, the DNA strands unwind and separate
• Each strand makes a new partner by adding the appropriate nucleotides

• The result is that there are now two double-stranded DNA molecules
in the nucleus

• So that when the cell divides, each nucleus contains identical DNA
 Making Proteins

JUNK DNA
• Segments of DNA
that are not parts of
genes
The Role of RNA in
Making Proteins

• RNA- type of nucleic acid

that carries the code for
making proteins for the
nucleus to the cytoplasm
• Carries amino acids
around inside a cell and
forms a part of ribosomes
• Has Uracil (U) instead of
Thymine (T)
Three Types of RNA
• mRNA (messenger RNA)
-carries the code (A,U,C,G) in three letter sequences called
codons
-Codons: code for individual amino acids, starts, or stops

• tRNA(transfer RNA)
-are RNA molecules that translate mRNA into protein
• rRNA (ribosomal RNA)
-forms ribosomes, which are essential in protein
synthesis
Mutations

A change in the nucleotide

sequence of a gene
Types of Mutation

• SUBSTITUTION
• INSERTION
• DELETION
• DUPLICATION
Results of Mutation

• Depends on where in the DNA

sequence the mutation happened and
the type of mutation
• Proteins express traits and change in
proteins causes traits to change