DNA

(Deoxyribonucleic Acid)
 Genetic material of cells…
• GENES – units of genetic material that
CODES FOR A SPECIFIC TRAIT

• Called NUCLEIC ACIDS

• DNA is made up of repeating molecules

called NUCLEOTIDES
 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
 A HISTORY OF DNA

• Discovery of the DNA double helix

A. Frederick Griffith – Discovered that a factor
in diseased bacteria can transform harmless
bacteria into deadly bacteria (1928)
B. Rosalind Franklin - X-ray photo of DNA.
(1952)
C. Watson and Crick - described the
DNA molecule from Franklin’s X-ray.
(1953)
Watson & Crick proposed…
•DNA had specific pairing between the
nitrogen bases:
ADENINE – THYMINE
CYTOSINE - GUANINE

•DNA was made of 2 long strands of

nucleotides arranged in a specific way
called the “Complementary Rule”
DNA Double Helix
“Rungs of ladder”

Nitrogenous
Base (A,T,G or C)

“Legs of ladder”

Phosphate &
Sugar Backbone
 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
 Nitrogenous Bases
• PURINES
1. Adenine (A)
2. Guanine (G)
A or G
• PYRIMIDINES
3. Thymine (T)
4. Cytosine (C) T or C
 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.
same

T A G C
BASE-PAIRINGS
H-bonds

G C

T A
 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…
 DNA is wrapped tightly around
histones and coiled tightly to form
chromosomes
 DNA Replication
• DNA must be copied

• The DNA molecule produces 2

IDENTICAL new complementary
strands following the rules of
base pairing:
A-T, G-C

•Each strand of the

original DNA serves as
a template for the new
strand
 DNA Replication
• Semiconservative
Model:
1. Watson and Crick
showed: the two strands
of the parental molecule
separate, and each
functions as a template
for synthesis of a new
complementary strand. DNA Template
Parental DNA
. New DNA
(1961) Watson & Crick proposed…
• …DNA controlled cell function by
serving as a template for PROTEIN
structure.

• 3 Nucleotides = a triplet or CODON

(which code for a specific AMINO ACID)

• AMINO ACIDS are the building blocks

of proteins.
 DNA Transcription
• DNA can “unzip”
itself and RNA
nucleotides match
up to the DNA
strand.

• Both DNA & RNA

are formed from
NUCLEOTIDES and
are called NUCLEIC
acids.
 DNA Translation
• The cell uses
information from
“messenger” RNA
to produce proteins
 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)
• References:

• Biochemistry by: • UPOU manual in

Campbell Biochemistry
• Lehninger’s • On-Line references
Principles of
Biochemistry by;
Cox, et al.