DNA, DNA FUNCTIONS, DNA STRUCTURE

What is the cell made up of?

Proteins, lipids and carbohydrates

What are the 2 types of nucleic acids?

1. deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

2. ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Where is DNA found?

1. The nucleus of eukaryotic cells

2. The mitochondria and chloroplasts

3. In all living cells and in viruses

What happens when cells are not dividing?

• DNA is found in the form of chromatin

• Chromatin is a tangle of DNA and histone proteins

• Chromatins function is to allow DNA to fit into cell

What happens during cell division?

• the chromatin network separates into visible chromosomes

• each chromosome is a DNA molecule

What are some functions of DNA?

1. DNA controls the structure & functioning of cells

2. DNA carries hereditary characteristics from parents to their offspring

3. DNA stores that genetic information of the cell in the form of genes which are just segments of DNA

What is a polynucleotide?

DNA is a polynucelotide, which is a very large molecule made up of a string of repeating units called nucleotides

What does a DNA nucleotide consist of?

• one deoxyribose sugar molecule

• one phosphate group

• one nitrogen-containing base

What are the 4 bases of a nucleotide?

• Adenine (A)

• Thymine (T)

• Guanine (G)

• Cytosine (C)

What are the 2 pairs of strands?

• Adenine and Tymine

• Cytosine and Guanine

What is this process called and what are they held up with?

Complementary base pairing; there are 2 hydrogen bonds between A&T and 3 hydrogen bonds between G&C

What is a double helix?

When the DNA molecule is twisted around its own central axis