DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid
deoxy: no oxygen
ribo: sugar
nucleic: nucleotides

• DNA and RNA are polymers: composed of repeating subunits, or monomers

• James Watson & Francis Crick found the structure of DNA
• Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins took the first x-ray
• Double-stranded
• Helical
• Tight-hand twist
• 10 base pairs = 1 full twist
• 3 parts:
1. sugar
2. phosphate
3. nitrogenous base

Nitrogenous Bases
A=T C≡G

Purine: double ring of carbon &

nitrogen atoms; adenine & guanine

Pyrimidines: single ring of carbon &

nitrogen atoms; thymine & cytosine

DNA Replication

1. - Helicase separates strands of DNA (breaks hydrogen bonds)

- Forms a replication fork

2. - DNA polymerase adds complimentary nucleotides to original strands

- Covalent bonds form between old and new nucleotides
- hydrogen bonds form between old and new nucleotides
 3. - DNA polymerase finishes and falls off, leaving 2 identical double-stranded DNA
- semi-conservative replication (one old strand with one new strand)
RNA
Ribonucleic Acid
• A copy of a segment of DNA used to make proteins
• RNA produced in nucleolus

DNA RNA
No oxygen Has oxygen
Long Short
Double stranded Single stranded
Uses thymine for nitrogenous base Replaces thymine with uracil

Protein Structure

• DNA and RNA are polymers: composed of repeating subunits, or monomers

• Made of chains of amino acids
• Amino acids joined together by mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA to form a polypeptide
• poly: many; peptide: protein
• 20 different amino acids
• Codon: a 3 nucleotide sequence in the mRNA

Types

1. mRNA
o messenger RNA
o single stranded copy of a segment of DNA
2. rRNA
o ribosomal RNA
o protein synthesis
3. tRNA
o transfer RNA
o transfers amino acids to ribosomes to make proteins

Protein Synthesis

1. - RNA bonds to DNA promoter (start region) and unwinds DNA

2. - RNA polymerase adds free-floating nucleotides to make RNA

DNA A T C G A C
RNA U A G C U G

3. - RNA polymerase reaches termination signal and releases RNA

- DNA zipped
- RNA leaves nucleus
Transcription

• Process in which RNA is produced from DNA

• All 3 types of RNA transcribed in the same manner

RNA polymerase
1. binds to DNA molecule
2. causes separation of the complementary strands of DNA
3. directs the formation of hydrogen bonds between the bases of a DNA strand &
complementary bases of RNA nucleotides (that are floating in the nucleus)
4. moves along the section of DNA, establishing the sugar-to-phosphate bonds between the
RNA nucleotides (similar to DNA replication)
5. when it reaches the sequence of bases on the DNA that act as a termination signal, the
enzyme triggers the release of the newly made RNA

Translation

1. Initiation
o mRNA floats towards the rRNA and binds together
o tRNA finds start codon (AUG; Methionine) and brings the first amino acid
o tRNA has anticodons, which are the complimentary base pairs to mRNA codons
o each tRNA can carry or transfer one specific amino acid
2. Elongation
o Second tRNA binds next to the first
o Peptide bonds form between the amino acids
o First tRNA leaves
3. Elongation Continued
o rRNA moves down the mRNA
o more tRNA’s bind on transferring more amino acids
4. Termination
o rRNA reaches stop codon
o no amino acid for stop codon
5. Disassembly
o mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, polypeptides float away
o polypeptide heads for Golgi
o multiple rRNA’s can be on one mRNA at the same time to increase the
production of proteins

Genetic Code: system that Gene: region of DNA that

contains information needed by directs the formation of a
cells for proper functioning polypeptide