DNA, GENES, CHROMOSOMES

Stands for
DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC
ACID
Contains the
instructions for
making proteins
within the cell.
DNA is a long
polymer
The basic shape is a
twisted ladder or
zipper
This is called a
DOUBLE HELIX
 are the basic
building blocks or
units of a DNA
molecule
 A single DNA
molecule has
millions of
nucleotides
The backbone of the
molecule is alternating
phosphates and
deoxyribose sugar
 The teeth are
Nitrogenous bases.
Each strand makes
an exact copy of
itself to form the
double helix .
DNA has 4 Nitrogenous bases:
Adenine (A)
Cytosine (C)
Thymine (T)
Guanine (G)
• Adenine and Thymine always join
together
A T
• Cytosine and Guanine always join
together
C G
 Genes are
sections of
DNA that are
in charge of
different
functions
like making
proteins
 Exons are the coding regions,
which are translated to a specific
sequence of amino acids
 Introns are the non-coding
regions, which do not specify any
amino acid sequence for protein
synthesis.
 The promoter region is the regulatory
sequence that regulates the activation of
genes, which also determines when and
where the protein should be synthesized. The
CAT and TATA boxes are components that are
found in the promoter region.
• The enhancer region is the one that interacts
with the transcription factor to help the
promoter region become activated.
Genes are located or are found
in the chromosomes
The position of a gene in a
chromosome is the LOCUS
(Plural: LOCI)
Chromosomes of a
homologous pair have genes
that control the same TRAIT
at the same locus
Chromosomes are thread-
like structures located
inside the nucleus of
animal and plant cells.
Each chromosome is
made of protein and a
single molecule of
deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA).
Passed from parents to
offspring, DNA contains
the specific instructions
that make each type of
living creature unique.
 Humans have 23 pairs of
chromosomes, or a total
of 46.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IN THE GENETIC
MATERIAL