Genetics - study of how genes control development

Gene - basic physical & functional unit of heredity

- made up of DNA
- act as instructions to make proteins

Proteins - Large organic molecules, Always contain nitrogen

- Essential to the structure and function of living things
- Made up of smaller units called ‘amino acids’.

 Enzymes - are one of the most important groups of proteins

- They speed up and control all chemical reactions within the body

Types of enzymes - Intracellular enzymes: occur inside cells, where they speed up and
control metabolic reactions
- Extracellular enzymes: produced by cells, but catalyze reactions
outside the cell (e.g. digestion)

Difference DNA & RNA - RNA contains the sugar ribose, while DNA contains the slightly
different sugar deoxyribose (a type of ribose that lacks one oxygen
atom)

Chemical composition - Double heleix (Back bone), has Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine and
Adenine and structure of DNA

Chemical composition - Single heleix (back bone), has Guanine, Cytosine, Uracil and Adenine
and structure of RNA

DNA - known as the chemical basis of heredity

RNA main function - The central dogma of molecular biology suggests that the primary
role of RNA is to converts the information stored in DNA into
proteins.

WHY DO CELL DIVIDE? - Repair of damaged tissue, Growth of an organism, Replace old and
dying cells.

Cell death - >50 billion cells die in our body /day (called programmed cell)

APOPTOSIS - A type of cell death in which a series of molecular steps in a cell lead
to its death.

NECROSIS - unprogrammed form of cell death

CELL DIVISION - MITOSIS, MEIOSIS & BINARY FISSION

Mitosis -  The process cells use to make exact replicas of themselves

- observed in almost all the body’s cells, including eyes, skin, hair, and
muscle cells.

Meiosis - In this type of cell division, sperm or egg cells are produced instead of
identical daughter cells as in mitosis

Binary Fission - Single-celled organisms like bacteria replicate themselves for

reproduction

Types of Binary Fission - Irregular, Longitudinal, Transverse & Oblique

cell - the smallest unit that can live on its own and that makes up all living
organisms and the tissues of the body

Chromatids - In the nucleus of each cell, the DNA molecule is packaged into thread-
like structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome is made up of
DNA tightly coiled many times around proteins called histones that
support its structure

Chromosome - A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic
material of an organism. Most eukaryotic chromosomes include
packaging proteins called histones which, aided by chaperone
proteins, bind to and condense the DNA molecule to maintain its
integrity

Why is proper protein production so important?

Protein has many roles in your body. It helps repair and build your body's tissues, allows metabolic
reactions to take place and coordinates bodily functions. In addition to providing your body with a
structural framework, proteins also maintain proper pH and fluid balance.