dna and rna intro

Gregor Mendel

-studies on pea plant traits lead to our first understanding of inheritance

-traits ("factors") could be dominant

-factors are placed on chromosomes

-chromosomes segregate and independently assort

Thomas Hunt Morgan

-studies on fruit flies (eye color) lead to the discovery of a new type of inheritance:

-traits can be "sex-linked" or be influenced by your X and Y chromosomes

Frederick Griffith

-Developed a vaccine for pneumonia

-injected bacterial strains into mice

-found that the genetic material had "transformed"

hershey & chase

-studied bacteriophages (viruses)

-determined that DNA was the real genetic material, NOT protein!

rosalind franklin

-photographed DNA using x-rays to determine DNA was double stranded

watson & crick

-Tried to figure out DNA structure

-Used the x-ray from Rosalind to figure out that it must be a double helix

-Discovered hydrogen bonds to keep strands together

human genome project

-ambitious research effort aimed at deciphering the entire human genetic code

-developing tools to identify genes involved in both rare and common diseases

DNA

-DeoxyriboNucleic Acid

-organized into shorter segments: genes

DNA function

-store and transmit genetic information that tells cells what proteins to make and when to make them

DNA structure

-2 long chains of nucleotides, twisted to form a double spiral (double helix)

-sides of DNA ladder are phosphate & sugar

-"Rungs" of the ladder are the nitrogen base pairs held together by hydrogen bonds

nucleotide (of DNA)

-a sugar (deoxyribose)

-phosphate group

-a nitrogen containing base

genes

-sequences of base pairs that code for certain characteristics

RNA

-Ribonucleic acid

RNA function

-Gets the genetic information out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm (translation and transcription)

RNA structure

-ribose sugar, phosphate and 4 nitrogen bases

-bases: cytosine, guanine, adenine and uracil

-single strand of nucleotides

-3 types: mRNA, tRNA, rRNA

DNA & RNA

both have:

-nucleic acids

-4 nitrogen bases

-nucleotides

DNA purines

-adenine

-guanine