Teachers have been lecturing students for years that, "DNA is our instructions for life." Yes, those teachers are correct, but what does that actually mean? Our DNA is a large molecule made of nucleotides. The arrangement and pattern of nucleotides act as letters in the alphabet. Just like letters are used to make words, our nucleotide combinations make up chains of amino acids. Chains of amino acids will determine a large protein's shape and..... SHAPE = FUNCTION! Proteins cause our unique traits that makes us who we are as individuals.  This unit covers how our DNA is transformed in the proteins that affect our physical traits. 

What is DNA?

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid consisting of a double helix made with nucleotides. 

Nucleotides:
  • Sugar - Deoxyribose
  • Phosphate Group
  • Nitrogenous-base (Ex. Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine)

DNA Assignments:

DNA Replication

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Key Terms:

Primase - location on the DNA Strand where replication begins. 

DNA Helicase - enzyme that is responsible for "untwisting" the double helix. 

DNA Polymerase - enzyme responsible for creating and proofreading the new strand of DNA.

DNA Ligase - enzyme used in connecting the Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand. 

Review Resources

DNA Transcription

DNA contains the instructions to tell the ribosomes which amino acids to create and arrange into polypeptides. UNFORTUNATELY, DNA is too large to leave the nucleus and the ribosomes are located in the cytoplasm. Transcription is the process of creating a smaller, more compact version of DNA called Messenger RNA (mRNA). 

Review Resources

Translation

Translation is the process of using the information stored in mRNA to create a chain of amino acids, also known as a polypeptide. These proteins created are used for EVERYTHING!... Refer to the "DNA Intro Worksheet" to review the 7 different categories of proteins to understand different uses. 

Key Terms:

Messenger RNA (mRNA)- an RNA single helix created from DNA and RNA Polymerase that carries the genetic information to the ribosome. 

Transfer RNA (tRNA) -  captures and collects the amino acids produced by the ribosome and arranges the amino acids into polypeptides. 
                   Anticodon - a structure on the tRNA used to connect with a                    specific codon on the mRNA. 
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Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) -  RNA included in a 2 protein subunit used to produce amino acids. 

Review Resources:

Study Resources