1. DNA

2. DNA fingerprinting, DNA profiling, DNA typing  All terms applied to the discovery by Alec Jeffreys and colleagues at Leicester University, England  The DNA structure of certain genes are unique to each individual

3.  Strands of genetic material with approximately 30,000 genes  Composed of repeating units of nucleotides  Nucleotides consist of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base  Nitrogen bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) Specifically pair A-T and C-G Called complementary base-pairing

4.  The sequences of base pairs grouped in threes (called codons)  Codons code for a specific amino acid  Amino acids are joined to make a protein  Each protein has specific function

5.  The process in which a DNA strand copies itself 1. Double helix is unraveled 2. Base pairs copy one strand of the DNA while other nucleotides base pair with the other strand 3. Results in 2 identical copies of the DNA strand

6.  The enzyme responsible for facilitating this process is DNA polymerase  Scientists can now use DNA polymerase to copy a DNA strand outside the living cell  Process is called PCR  (Polymerase chain reaction)  Which uses a DNA Thermal Cycler to double the DNA and finally to multiply a million times

7.  Useful for replicating small pieces of DNA found at a crime scene  Human Genome Project – determined the order of bases on all 23 pairs of chromosomes

8.  Genetic code – the specific sequence of letter that specifies a protein  Restriction enzymes – certain chemicals that cut DNA into fragments that can be incorporated into another DNA strand  Recombined DNA is usually with the bacterial DNA  Bacterial DNA multiplies rapidly which produces new recombined DNA  Uses include: human growth hormone, insulin production, crop production

9. 1. Why is DNA important to forensic scientists? 2. What are genes and what is their function? 3. Describe the basic structure of the DNA molecule. 4. Name the four bases associated with DNA. How are these bases paired on the DNA molecule? 5. What aspects of DNA define the role and function of a DNA molecule? 6. What is the human genome? Name two medical applications of information about the human genome. 7. Briefly describe the process of DNA replication. 8. What is PCR? Why is it useful to forensic scientists? 9. What is recombinant DNA? How is recombinant DNA technology used to treat diabetes?