DNA
Structure and
Function
What do you already know
about DNA?
► What is the shape/structure
of DNA?
► Double helix shape
► Like a twisted ladder
What do you already know
about DNA?
► What is DNA?
► Blueprint of life
► Gives instructions for how to
build all living things
► Where is DNA?
► In every cell on earth!
► Nucleus (Eukaryotes)
Important Discoveries
► Griffith 1928
► looking for how bacteria cause pneumonia
► Added heat-killed harmful bacteria to live
harmless bacteria and the rat DIED
► What Happened??
► The gene from the heat-killed bacteria
transformed into the live bacteria
More Discoveries
► Avery 1944
► Discovered that it was the molecule DNA which was transformed
between bacteria
► Hershey and Chase 1952
► Made sure DNA was to blame by using radioactive viruses
► Franklin 1952
► X-ray diffraction of DNA
► **More about her later!
More Discoveries
► Watson and Crick 1953
► Developed the double helix structure of DNA
► The Human Genome Project 2003
► Completed in 2003, this project has identified ~31,000 genes, each of
which can be more than 3000 nucleotides long.
Watson and Crick
"Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids:
A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid"
British journal Nature
(April 25, 1953. volume 171:737-738.)
"...It has not escaped our notice that the specific
pairing we have postulated immediately
suggests a possible copying mechanism for the
genetic material."
Source: Pamela Peters, Ph.D., Access Excellence, Genentech, Inc.
Vocabulary
► Nitrogen Base = A, C, G, or T
► Base pair = two bases joined by a hydrogen bond
► A paired with T
► C paired with G
► Nucleotide = sugar + phosphate + base
► sub-unit of DNA
► Sugar-phosphate backbone
► Sides of ladder
► Made of alternating deoxyribose sugar and phosphates
What does DNA do?
► Gives instructions to build cells/organisms
► A gene is a segment of DNA that gives an
instruction
► Genes determine an organism’s traits
► Differences in DNA create variation
► Variation across species
► Variation within species
► Note: some differences in the DNA are hidden/invisible
What does DNA do?
► Contains information & can pass it on
► DNA’s structure contains information
► Information can be copied
► Why make copies?
► More cells
► New organism!
► Organism’s DNA comes from its parents
► DNA is how inherited traits are passed on
How is DNA structure connected to its
function?
► Contains information
► Where is the information in a DNA molecule?
► In the sequence of the bases
► Human DNA is about 3 billion base pairs!
► Structure allows a simple molecule with only a few parts to contain all the
info needed to make an organism!
► Can pass it on
► Hydrogen bonds that connect the base pairs are weak
► H-bonds can break so the DNA unzips
► If you know one side, you can figure out the other side
► Good for making a copy of the DNA
► Structure allows the molecule to make copies for new cells or new
organisms!
DNA Replication
► Chargaff’s Rules
► Adenine and Thymine are equal in % of DNA
► Cytosine and Guanine and equal in % of DNA
► Practice Problems! (In your notebook!)
Practice Problems!
► If a strand of DNA has 20% C, what percent will be G?
► If a strand of DNA has 35% A, what percent will be T?
► If a strand of DNA has 10% G, what percent will be T?
► If a strand of DNA has 45% A, what percent will be C?
► If a strand of DNA has 24% T, what percent will be G?
► Write the complementary base pairs for the following
DNA strands:
► ATC GCC CAT GTG CCA
► TGA CAA CGA GGT ACT
► AAA CCC TTT GGG ACG
DNA Replication
► Enzymes involved
► Helicase unzips DNA
► DNA Polymerase builds DNA
► Semi-conservative:
► Half of each parent strand is kept as template for the
new daughter strands
