What is DNA?

DNA
Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
say: dee-ox-EAR-i-bose
new-CLAY-ik A-sid
(Genetic Material)

DNA is the genetic material of all living things on

the planet.
It is found in the nucleus of your cells.

DNA holds the instructions to make all things in

your body work properly.

Ka Hana Imi Naauao A Science Careers Curriculum Resource Go to: www.cds.hawaii.edu/kahana

Where is DNA found?

DNA is found in
the nucleus of
all plant and
animal cells.
It is wound up
in tight
chromosomes.

What does DNA look like?

Shape of a double helix or a
twisted ladder.
The steps of the ladder are
called base pairs
The bases:
Adenine (A) say: A-da-nine
Guanine (G) say: GWAY-nine
Thymine (T) say: THIGH-min
Cytosine (C) say: SITE-oh-seen

Base Pairs

A
C
G
T
G

T
G
C
A
C

Each of the bases have a

partner they pair off with.
Adenine (A) always
partners with Thymine (T)
Cytosine (C) always
partners with Guanine (G)

Complementary Strand
What is the complementary strand for the following sequence?

A A T G T C A T

G C

T A C G

G A

C G

A T

C T

T A C A G T A

G C

Mistakes Happen
If the wrong bases
pair off with one
another its called a
mutation.
Most mutations are
harmless.
Some can be serious.

DNA Replication
This is when DNA
makes a copy of itself.
A
C
G
T
G

Usually when the cell

divides, a copy of the
instructions (DNA) is
given to the new cell.

T
G
A
C
C

How does DNA control the

cell?
A cells DNA needs to change forms.
DNA cannot leave the nucleus to give
commands, so it needs to make a
smaller copy of itself called RNA.
RNA leaves the nucleus and is read by
the ribosome. say: RYE-boh-sohm
The ribosome then makes a protein.
The protein is DNAs command.

Making RNA
DNA

DNA Unwinds

RNA
RNA is made
RNA has DNAs instructions and can leave the nucleus

Changing DNA to RNA

Transcription
To figure out the RNA sequence, base
pairs still need to match up.
A with T, C with G (for DNA)
In RNA the rules still apply, but
anywhere a T should be, it is
replaced by Uracil (U). say: YUR-uh-

sill

What is the RNA sequence?

DNA

RNA
T

G
C

G
T

What is a gene?

Inheritance

A gene is a section of DNA that

has instructions for a particular
trait.
Some genes are dominant
(stronger)
Some genes are recessive
(weaker)
Each organism inherits a gene
from each parent.
Each organism has 2 genes per
trait.

In the example, each

flower has a trait for color:
red or yellow.
The offspring inherited a
red gene from one parent
and a yellow gene from
the other parent.
Red was the expressed
color, so it is considered
dominant.

References

Where did the color come from?

DNA

RNA

Protein

There was a section

of DNA which had
the information for
color.
The RNA form is
made and read into a
protein that
expresses the color.

http://www.pitt.edu/~hpsdept/images/double_helix.gif, Access Date: Dec. 12, 2006

http://www.bst.ntu.edu.tw/images/double%20helix%20c.jpg, Access Date: Dec. 12, 2006
http://www.chemsoc.org/ExemplarChem/entries/2003/imperial_Burgoine/origins.txt.html, Access Date: Dec.
12, 2006
http://library.tedankara.k12.tr/chemistry/vol1/biochem/trans98.jpg, Access Date: Dec. 12, 2006
http://biology.unm.edu/ccouncil/Biology_124/Images/transcription.gif, Access Date: Dec. 13, 2006

Expressed color