DNA Notes

Starting with the cell….where is the genetic information located? NUCLEUS

What is this called? Chromatin (relaxed DNA) Chromosomes (condensed DNA)

DRAW THIS!

What are CHROMOSOMES exactly? A condensed version of chromatin Humans have 46 chromosomes (23 from mom, 23 from dad) They are in the nucleus of cells

Each chromosome is a tightly wound single strand of DNA. What are CHROMOSOMES? Each chromosome is a tightly wound single strand of DNA.

Deoxyribonucleic acid! What is DNA? Deoxyribonucleic acid! A very long molecule that contains a code

DNA Structure Shape: double helix Sides: alternating sugars and phosphates Rungs: each “rung” is 2 bases paired together

There are 4 different bases: Adenine (A) Thymine (T) Guanine (G) Cytosine (C)

If any other combination occurs, the cell has made a mistake! Base Pairing Rules: A + T C + G If any other combination occurs, the cell has made a mistake!

What is a GENE?

What is a GENE? Genes are the code for traits, such as: A gene is a small section on a strand of DNA Genes are the code for traits, such as: height hair color susceptibility to a particular disease

There are thousands of genes on each strand of DNA!!

What is HereditY? Heredity is how you inherit traits. The gene is the basic unit of heredity. Each gene comes in several different versions, known as alleles.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/info=basics/show/gene

OVERALL BIG PICTURE: A gene is a specific section on a strand of DNA that has the code for a certain trait. The DNA strand gets tightly wound together to form a chromosome. These chromosomes live in each of your cells’ nuclei.

DNA Animation http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/builddn a/