DNA Review Guide

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living things.

In the ladder analogy of the DNA molecule, the “rungs” of the ladder are:

Nitrogenous bases

Which nitrogen bases are always paired together in DNA?

Adenine + Thymine, Guaine +Cytosine

Describe where a geneticist could find an individual gene?

Cytoplasm of prokaryotes

What is in a nucleotide?

A nucleotide consists of a phosphate group, a sugar molecule (deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogenous base.

Which of the following parts of nucleotide make up the backbone of DNA?

Sugar-Phosphate and Nitrogenous bases

The bases on one strand of DNA are CTAGAAC. The complementary section on the other strand of DNA is

GATCTTG

Describe the difference between purine and pyrimidine bases

They have different structures

Why is the sequence, or order, of nitrogenous bases in a DNA strand important

So there won’t be any mutations

Geneticist

A scientist who studies genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.

Importance of Base Sequence

The sequence of nitrogenous bases in DNA determines the genetic information and the function of the genes.

History of DNA Discovery

The exploration of DNA structure involved scientists like James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins.