What is DNA?

• DNA is a molecule that contains the

genetic information of all living
things.
• This molecule is located mostly in
the nucleus of a cell and provides
instructions for living things to
grow, develop, and reproduce.
• The structure of DNA is double
helix-shaped, discovered by James
Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
• It's important to distinguish
between chromosomes, DNA, and
genes.
• the hierarchy is chromosome >
DNA > gene.
 Why is DNA
structure discovery
important?
• The discovery of DNA's structure was a
pivotal moment in biology and genetics.
• Genes contain the information for life,
which sparked a wave of research into
genetic material.
• Initially, proteins were thought to be the
genetic material. However, research
eventually showed that DNA determines
our biological makeup and is inherited
by offspring.
 Linus Pauling
• Linus Pauling discovered
the alpha-helix structure
of proteins in 1951 using
X-ray crystallography.
• Pauling's work paved the
way for understanding
how molecules are
structured, including
DNA. However, many
scientists at the time had
limited understanding of
X-ray crystallography.
 James Watson and
Francis Crick
• Before Watson and Crick,
scientists knew that DNA
carried genetic information
but didn't know its structure.
• Watson and Crick proposed
that DNA has a double helix
structure, with two strands
twisted around each other.
• This hypothesis was supported
by X-ray diffraction
experiments by Maurice
Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin
 Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind
Franklin
• Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin
studied DNA using X-ray diffraction.
• Despite their competitive relationship,
their work contributed significantly to
understanding DNA's structure.
• Wilkins introduced DNA X-ray diffraction
images at a conference, suggesting DNA
might have a helical structure.
• Rosy Franklin's famous Photo 51
provided clear evidence of the double
helix structure, leading to the award of
the Nobel Prize to Wilkins, Watson, and
Crick, although Franklin was not
recognized due to her early death.
 What is X-ray diffraction?
• X-ray diffraction is a technique used
to study the atomic structure of
molecules.
• When X-rays are directed at DNA,
they scatter in a pattern that can be
captured on film, revealing the
arrangement of atoms within the
molecule.
• Franklin's Photo 51, an X-ray
diffraction image of DNA, was key to
understanding its double helix
structure