DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid are two chemical substances involved in transmitting genetic information from parent to offspring. It was known early into the 20th century that chromosomes, the genetic material of cells, contained
DNA. In 1944, Oswald T. Avery, Colin M. MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty concluded that DNA was the basic genetic component of chromosomes. Later, RNA would be proven to regulate protein synthesis. (Miller, 139)
DNA is the genetic material found in most viruses and in all cellular organisms.
Some viruses do not have DNA, but contain RNA instead. Depending on the organism, most DNA is found within a single chromosome like bacteria, or in several chromosomes like most other living things. (Heath, 110)
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(Grolier Encyclopedia, 1992)
DNA does not act directly in the process of protein synthesis because it does not leave the nucleus, so a special ribonucleic acid is used as a messenger
(mRNA). The mRNA carries the genetic information from the DNA in the nucleus out to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm during transcription. (Miller, 76)
This leads to the topic of replication. When DNA replicates, the two strands of the double helix separate from one another. While the strands separate, each nitrogenous base on each strand attracts it’s own complement, which as mentioned earlier, attaches with hydrogen bonds. As the bases are bonded an enzyme called
DNA polymerase combines the phosphate of one nucleotide to the deoxyribose of the opposite nucleotide.
This forms a new polynucleotide chain. The new DNA strand stays attached to the old one through the hydrogen bonds, and together they form a new DNA double helix molecule. (Heath, 119) (Miller, 144-145)
As mentioned before, DNA molecules are involved in a process called protein synthesis. Without RNA, this process could not be completed. RNA is the genetic material of some viruses. RNA molecules are like DNA. They have a long chain of macromolecules made up of nucleotides. Each RNA nucleotide is also made up of three basic parts. There is a sugar called ribose, and at one end of the sugar is the phosphate group, and at the other end is one of several nitrogenous bases.
There are four main nitrogenous bases found in
In recent discussions of genetic testing, a controversial issue has been whether genetic testing is effective in helping find cure of some diseases. On the one hand, some argue that genetic testing helps us detect genetically passed diseases from parents to children. . On the other hand, however, others argue that genetic testing costs a lot of money is sometimes is not effective in finding diseases. In sum, then, the issue is whether genetic testing is effective and worth the cost to find a genetically past disease. While some believe that genetic testing costs alot of money and should never be done unless necessary, genetic testing is beneficial in many ways for detecting genetically pasted diseases from parents to children.
Although DNA molecules seem minuscule, if all the DNA in a human body was unwound and placed from end to end, it would cover about 10 billion miles. That's approximately the same distance as traveling from the Earth to Pluto and back. (Helmenstine, 2017). If a person typed 60 words per minute, eight hours a day, it would take approximately 50 years for them to type the human
Nucleotides are what make up the nucleic acid and are made of three things: a five-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group.
This includes “Transcription” and then “Translation”. Protein synthesis occurs outside of the nucleus on ribosome with the cytoplasm. The molecules of the “RNA” carries a transcribed genetic message from the DNA to the ribosome, whereas the other molecules of the “RNA” function in the assemble of the protein. RNA is a second type of nuclei acid. The RNA differs from the DNA; this is when it has the base of Uracil instead of the base Thymine. The RNA is usually a single stranded molecule rather than a double helix like DNA. They are three types of RNA and these include: Ribosomal “RNA (rRNA)”, this is the major structural component of ribosome. The second type of RNA is the messenger “RNA(mRNA)”, this is when it functions in carrying the genetic message from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and the final type of RNA is Transfer RNA (tRNA) this is when it brings the amino acids into position on the ribosome during the construction of a protein. The actual process of the protein synthesis begins when a portion of the DNA double helix unzips to expose a gene; this means that the genetics will consider a gene to be a segment of the DNA that codes for one particular protein. This means that the base pairs of the double stranded DNA molecules then are able to unzip down the middles as weak Hydrogen bonds, this then breaks the paired bases and the double stranded DNA becomes a single stranded and allows the base pair to be RNA nucleotides. One of the exposed DNA strands will pair with one of the RNA nucleotides which will end up making the “mRNA” molecule. The RNA bases include: “A, U, C and G”. The “mRNA” attaches to a ribosome in the cytoplasm, a length of the mRNA which consists of six bases will fit into the globular ribosome at one time. A triplet is the “mRNA” code for a certain amino acid. These are called a Codon. They will be three bases of the “mRNA”, this is known as the first triplet, these are found in the ribosome and are
The discovery of DNA dated back to the 1800’s. On 1869 doctor Johann Friedrich Miescher discovered a new substance he believed resided in the cell nucleus much different from that of proteins. He was unaware of the importance of his discovery even after he died in 1895. Miescher is not credited for the discovery of DNA because of his personality of being way too much of a perfectionist, late to publish his discoveries, and his switch from one work to another.
Almost everyone knows what DNA is, however, not that long ago, no one did. Throughout the years, DNA has impacted us in ways that we never knew. DNA is responsible for our phenotype, because it determines our characteristics. However, there are also other underlying factors that determine the way such as culture and environment. Which leads to the following question, if possible in the future, should genes become patented?
adhere to a molecule containing phosphorus and this is then connected to the two strands, which
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is currently being used in courtrooms and criminal investigation as a tool that place individuals at crime scenes, as well as paternity and identity cases. DNA has changed the way law enforcement conduct investigation it has also freed the wrongly convicted. DNA evidence technically doesn't pinpoint a single suspect, but rather narrows it down to just a few possibilities within the human population. However, it's extremely accurate and useful as long as it is handled and analyzed properly.
Nucleic acids are seen as very large molecules with the DNA molecules as the largest followed by the RNA. Studies reveal that nucleic acid molecules have sizes that ranges in size from 21 nucleotides which are the smaller RNA to large chromosomes found in human beings which are single molecule which contain about 247 million nitrogenous base pairs. It also revealed that most naturally occurring DNA molecules are always double-stranded while the RNA molecules are single-stranded and this shows the physical difference between a DNA molecule and that of RNA. However, there are several disparities and numerous exceptions which shows that some viruses have genomes made which are made of double-stranded RNA while other viruses have single-stranded DNA genomes a phenomenon which has been seen to contradict the scientific facts known
Since we discovered that DNA is in the nucleus in every single cell, we’re curious about how exactly DNA can be replicated in a way that can keep our identity, including our characteristics. This could be described after learning about DNA and its very individual characteristics, along with transcription and translation, which are the two steps of DNA replication. These steps can determine our characteristics, as well as our personalities. DNA is mostly made of adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. These all make hydrogen bonds, and that’s only if it’s connected to the correct base. An example of this would be when thymine connects to adenine and guanine connects to cytosine. Though, since this is mRNA being created, adenine would connect
DNA databanks are a highly debated subject in the United States. A DNA databank is a database containing DNA profiles. These profiles can be used to track genealogy, genetic diseases, and criminal history. There are several different types of DNA databanks. Forensic DNA databases keep profiles to compare with DNA samples found at crime scenes. Genetic genealogy databases keep results from genealogical DNA tests. Medical DNA databases keep track of genetic variations for medical purposes. These databases, however, are very controversial and many fear its expansion, particularly that of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the United States national DNA database
As the instructions for all living cells, DNA is a complex molecule and the basis of biology. The structure of DNA is the same for all organisms. (Fredholm, 2003) The journey to understanding DNA began in 1866 when Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel discovered the basic principles of genetics. Although the scientific community did not fully appreciate or credit his work in his lifetime, Mendel is now considered the father of genetics. Mendel’s advanced experiments with pea plants between 1856 and 1863 identified the existence of dominant and recessive traits. He unknowingly described genes as the ‘invisible’ factors for providing a predictable phenotype. Although credited to American-English duo James Watson and Francis Crick, the next
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a chain of molecules that hold the genetic code for all living things. “This genetic code is the instructions for growth, hair color, eye color, shapes of the body’s structures, and every little detail that is inside of a living organism” (Bhatt). A complete set of genetic instructions is a genome and every cell has two copies of genomes, one from each parent, making a full chromosome. DNA is composed of four different types of nucleotides: Adenine ( A ), Guanine ( G ), Cytosine ( C ), and Thymine ( T ). Thymine is only found in DNA. These four nucleotides come together in pairs for form nucleic acids. Adenine and Thymine are a pair as Guanine and Cytosine are a pair. These pairs of nucleotides are “glued” via hydrogen bonds onto a nitrogenous base forming a double helix structure. This double helix can grow to be very long, millions, even billions of base pairs long.
What is DNA? Where is it found? What makes it so special? How does it work?
was a semen stain on the victim. Minnesota at this time was one of the