GENES

GENE: is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes, which are made up of
DNA, act as instructions to make molecules called proteins. In humans, genes vary in size
from a few hundred DNA bases to more than 2 million bases. The Human Genome Project
has estimated that humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes.
ALLELE: is one of a number of alternative forms of the same gene or same genetic locus
CHROMATIN: is a complex of macromolecules found in cells, consisting of DNA, protein,
and RNA.
CHROMATIDS: one-half of two identical threadlike strands of a replicated chromosome.
LOCUS: The position that a given gene or genetic marker occupies on a chromosome.
Every chromosome carries hundreds to thousands of genes, which can make it
difficult for geneticists to identify particular genes. The locus serves as a guide,
pointing out the physical path to a specific gene. The locus of a gene consists of
three major elements: the chromosome number, the arm on which the gene is
located and the position of the gene on the arm, identified by a five-digit code.
GENES

DNA nucleotides
Some of the most fundamental properties of DNA emerge from the characteristics of its four basic building
blocks, called nucleotides. Knowing the composition of nucleotides and the differences between the four
nucleotides that make up DNA is central to understanding DNA’s role in living systems.

Nucleotides in DNA contain four different nitrogenous bases: Thymine, Cytosine, Adenine, or Guanine.
There are two groups of bases:

Pyrimidines: Cytosine and Thymine each have a single six-member ring.

Purines: Guanine and Adenine each have a double ring made up of a five-atom ring attached by one side
to a six-atom ring.

A. S. (2011, March 11). Nucleotides in DNA. Retrieved October 3, 2016, from

http://scienceprimer.com/nucleotides-dna

RNA nucleotides
These nucleotides have three parts: 1) a five carbon ribose sugar, 2) a phosphate molecule and 3)
one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine or uracil.

RNA nucleotides form polymers of alternating ribose and phosphate units linked by a phosphodiester
bridge between the #3 and #5 carbons of neighboring ribose molecules.

RNA nucleotides differ from DNA nucleotides by the presence of a hydroxyl group linked to the #2
carbon of the sugar. The presence of this hydroxyl group allows RNA polymers to assume a more
diverse number of shapes compared to DNA polymers. The extra hydroxyl group also makes RNA
polymers less stable than DNA polymers. The greater variety of shapes RNA polymers are able to
form, is part of the reason RNA serves more functions than DNA.

citation

staroscik, Andrew, (2011-2016), “nucleotides in RNA”,

(03-10-16),http://scienceprimer.com/nucleotides-rna