Genetics

Chapter 10 Summary
Genetic material must contain complex information, be replicated accurately, code
for the phenotype, and have the capacity to vary.
Evidence that DNA is the source of genetic information came from the finding by
Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty that transformation depended on DNA and from the
demonstration by Hershey and Chase that viral DNA is passed on to progeny
phages. The results of experiments with TMV showed that RNA carries genetic
information in some viruses.
James Watson and Francis Crick, using data provided by Rosalind Franklin and
Maurice Wilkins, proposed a model for the three-dimensional structure of DNA in
1953.
A DNA nucleotide consists of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a
nitrogenous base. RNA consists of a ribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a
nitrogenous base.
The bases of a DNA nucleotide are of two types: purines (adenine and guanine)
and pyrimidines (cytosine and thymine). RNA contains the pyrimidine uracil instead
of thymine.
Nucleotides are joined together by phosphodiester linkages in a polynucleotide
strand. Each polynucleotide strand has a free phosphate group at its 5 end and a
free hydroxyl group at its 3 end.
DNA consists of two nucleotide strands that wind around each other to form a
double helix. The sugars and phosphates lie on the outside of the helix, and the
bases are stacked in the interior. The two strands are joined together by hydrogen
bonding between bases in each strand. The two strands are antiparallel and
complementary.
DNA molecules can form a number of different secondary structures, depending
on the conditions in which the DNA is placed and on its base sequence.
The structure of DNA has several important genetic implications. Genetic
information resides in the base sequence of DNA, which ultimately specifies the
amino acid sequence of proteins. Complementarity of the bases on DNAs two
strands allows genetic information to be replicated.
The central dogma of molecular biology proposes that information flows in a oneway direction, from DNA to RNA to protein. Exceptions to the central dogma are now
known.
Pairing between bases on the same nucleotide strand can lead to hairpins and
other secondary structures.
DNA may be modified by the addition of methyl groups to the nucleotide bases.