Molecular genetics

DNA

Contains all the genetic information for any living organism.

Proteins

Control a wide variety of cellular processes.

Genetic research implications

Biotechnology has social, legal, and ethical implications.

Material of heredity

DNA is known to be the material of heredity.

Structure of DNA

Discovered in 1953, consists of two antiparallel strands.

C5 attached to PO4

Connected with an ester bond.

Base pairs in DNA

C and G form 3 hydrogen bonds; A and T form 2 hydrogen bonds.

RNA vs DNA

RNA is single-stranded with Uracil replacing Thymine.

Leading strand

Strand made continuously during DNA replication.

Lagging strand

Strand made in fragments during DNA replication.

Okazaki fragments

Short fragments on the lagging strand that need to be sealed.

Point mutations

Involve substitution in a single gene, includes silent, nonsense, and missense mutations.

Frameshift mutations

Mutations that cause a change in the reading frame due to insertion or deletion.

Beadle and Tatum

Responsible for the one-gene/one-polypeptide hypothesis.

Recombinant DNA

DNA sequences from at least two different sources combined.

Restriction endonucleases

Enzymes that cut DNA at specific recognition sites.

Plasmids

Small circular DNA molecules used to carry genes into bacteria.

DNA fingerprinting

Uses restriction enzymes to create DNA fragments for identification.

PCR (Polymerase chain reaction)

Technique to amplify DNA for analysis.

DNA sequencing

Method to determine the sequence of nucleotides in DNA.