CHAPTER 2: FROM DNA TO PROTEIN

LESSON 1: CENTRAL DOGMA OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

 Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule that records
genetic information.
 It is contained in chromosomes that are passed on to
offspring.
 DNA is a nucleic acid that is made up of monomers called
nucleotides.
 THE DNA STRUCTURE:
 The pentose sugar of DNA has one less oxygen, thus
is called deoxyribose.
 The 4 nitrogenous bases are adenine, thymine,
guanine and cytosine.
 One chain will start from 5 carbon to 3 carbon, but its
partner would run from 3 carbon to 5 carbon.
 DNA structure is called double helix.
 THE RNA STRUCTURE
 mRNA – messenger RNA
 tRNA – transfer RNA
 the sugar of RNA is ribose,
 thymine was replace by uracil
 RNA is a single-stranded and a smaller molecule than
DNA
 DNA REPLICATION
 DNA replication is the careful reproduction of DNA
molecules in a cell.
1. Unwinding – the DNA double helix unwind with
the help of the enzyme helicase.
2. POLIMERIZATION – initiates the building of RNA
primase.
- PRIMASE – attracts complementary RNA bases
- OKAZAKI FRAGMENTS – the couple who
discovered such fragments occurs.
3. TERMINATION – the RNA primer that initiated the
polymerization process will be removed by the
nucleases.