DNA Structure and function

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The central dogma

The directional flow of genetic information within a biological system: DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein.

Function of RNA

Translates the information from DNA into proteins

Genomics

The study of the whole genome and all genetic material of an organism

Transcriptomics

The study of the whole set of RNA transcripts produced in a cell or organism

Proteomics

The study of the complete complement of proteins produced by an organism, cell, or tissue

Nucleotide

The monomer building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogenous base

Purines

The double-ring nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA are specifically adenine and guanine.

Pyrimidines

The single-ring nitrogenous bases found in nucleic acids, specifically cytosine, thymine, and uracil

Phosphodiester bonds

The covalent bonds between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the sugar of another, forming the DNA backbone.

Complementary base pairing

Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T) via two hydrogen bonds, and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G) via three

Antiparallel strands

the orientation of the two DNA strands in a double helix, one runs 5’-3’ and the other runs 3’-5’

Double helix

The twisted ladder-like structural conformation adopted by native double-stranded DNA

Rosalind Franklin

Biophysicist and X-ray person whose crucial photo revealed the helical structure of DNA

Watson and Crick

Scientists who constructed the first correct atomic model of the DNA double helix structure in 1953

Photo 51

An x-ray diffraction image of DNA taken by Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling that showed a clear X-shaped pattern indicative of a helix

DNA replication

The biological process of producing 2 identical replicas of DNA from one original DNA molecule.

Semi-conservative replication

The model of DNA replication where each newly synthesized molecule consists of one original conserved strand and one newly synthesized strand.

DNA Polymerase

The primary enzyme responsible for synthesizing new DNA strands by adding nucleotides complementary to the template strand

Leading strand

The strand of template DNA that is replicated continuously in the 5’-3’ direction toward the replication fork

Lagging Strand

The strand of template DNA is replicated discontinuously in short segments away from the replication fork

Okazaki Fragments

Short DNA nucleotide sequences are synthesized discontinuously on the lagging template strand during replication.

DNA Ligase

The enzyme that seals nicks in the sugar-phosphatebackbone by joining Okazaki Fragments together.

Primase

An enzyme that synthesizes short RNA primers to provide a free 3’-OH group for DNA polymerase to initiate replication

Helicase

The motor protein enzyme that unwinds the double-stranded DNA helix ahead of the replication fork by breaking hydrogen bonds.

Polarity (in nucleic acids)

The directional asymmetry of a DNA strand, defined by the chemical orientation of the 5’phosphate and the 3’ hydroxyl ends

Transcription

The process by which the genetic code in DNA is copied into a complementary mRNA molecule.