DNA: The Molecule of

Heredity
 If the DNA of one cell is stretched out, it makes a 7 ft. long string
There are about 5 trillion cells in the human body
If you connected all the DNA together, it would be long enough that
it would take light over 10 hours to travel its length

(ruptured bacteria)
• Codes for your genes

• Located inside the nucleus

in the form of chromosomes
• DNA is made up of repeating units called
NUCLEOTIDES

• Nucleotides have 3 parts:

– Simple sugar
– Phosphate
– Nitrogenous base
A) Simple sugar = deoxyribose
(the sugar gives it its name deoxyribonucleic acid)
B) phosphate group
C) 1 nitrogenous base
– Adenine B
– Guanine
– Cytosine
– Thymine A
C
Rules for Base Pairing: They are
called complementary base pairs

A. Cytosine Guanine
(C G)

B. Adenine = Thymine
(A = T)

the lines between the

letters are hydrogen bonds
Phosphate
Nitrogen Bases
Sugar
C
G

A
A

G
 Review QUESTIONS??

How many parts are there in a nucleotide?

What is the simple sugar that makes up DNA?

What pairs with A?

What pairs with G?

 QUESTIONS???
Find the complementary DNA strand that
matches the following bases

ATGA = ____________

TTGC = ____________
 Fun Facts
If you wrote down all of the
bases in one cell, you would
fill a stack of 1,000 phone
books with A's, T's, G's and
C's
Fun Facts

If you unraveled all your

chromosomes from all of
your cells and laid out the
DNA end to end, the
strands
would stretch from the
Earth to the Moon about
6,000 times.
Why do you think DNA is called a double
helix?
DNA Replication
• The DNA in the
chromosome is
copied in a process
called DNA
Replication
 Replication of DNA
• During
Replication, each
strand serves as
a pattern or
template, to
make a new DNA
molecule just like
the original
 Question???

What is DNA Replication?

 Replication of DNA
• An enzyme, DNA
, comes on
the scene
• UNWINDS the DNA
upstream
• UNZIPS the DNA,
breaking the
hydrogen bonds
 DNA Replication
• All DNA strands are
read from the 5’ to 3’
end
• The 5’ end terminates
in a phosphate group
• The 3’ end terminates
in a sugar molecule
(deoxyribose)
 DNA Replication
• Okazaki Fragments
are short, newly
synthesized DNA
fragments that are
formed on the lagging
template strand (3’ to
5’ side) during DNA
Replication
 DNA Replication
• The leading strand is
continuously built in the 5’
to 3’ direction

• DNA polymerase can

only add new nucleotides
to a free 3’ end of a
growing chain or the
Lagging strands. These
are discontinuous with
Okazaki fragments
coming in to fill in the
gaps
Biology Humor
 Replication of DNA
• This process
continues until the
entire molecule has
been unzipped and
replicated.
• Each new strand
formed is a
complement of the
original – part old,
part new
Compare the 2 new strands formed through
DNA Replication?
 DNA Review
• Basic structure is • DNA Replication
made up of a – Copying of DNA
nucleotide – DNA Helicase unzips
– Phosphate the DNA
– Sugar – Polymerase attaches
• Deoxyribose
the free nitrogen base
– Nitrogen Base – Works the leading
• A pairs with T
strand (5’ to 3’)
• G pairs with C – Has to work
backwards on the
lagging strand (3’ to 5’)
& fill in the gaps with
Okazaki fragments