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The Molecular Basis of
Inheritance

      Presented by:
    Marlett Ann R. de los
           Santos
Deoxyribonuccleic acid
(DNA)
• A nucleic acid
  molecule that
  contains the
  genetic instruction
  used in the
  development and
  functioning of all
  living organisms.
Structure of a DNA

    -DNA is a very large polymer
 made up of monomers called
 nucleotides. Each DNA nucleotide
 consists of a phosphate group, the
 sugar deoxyribose and a nitrogen
 base. The only difference among the
 four nucleotides of DNA is in their
 nitrogen bases.
The four nitrogen bases of DNA are the organic ring
structures:
*adenine
*guanine
*cytosine
*thymine
  Only the nitrogen bases of the nucleotides vary. And
the amounts of adenine and thymine nucleotides are
equal likewise the amounts of guanine and cytosine
nucleotides are equal too.
• The Watson-Crick model of DNA
  has two strands. The phosphate
  sugar chains form the backbone for
  each strand. The nitrogen bases of
  each strand pair with the other strand
  by hydrogen bonding. Adenine (A)
  always pair with thymine (T) and
  guanine (G) always pair with
Because there are two strands
in a spiral, the shape of DNA
is described as double helix.
The DNA double helix is
sometimes compared to a
twisted ladder. The sides of
the ladder are the sugar
phosphate backbones. The
rungs are the pair of nitrogen
bases.
It is the order of these bases that
makes up the genetic code.
Differences in the order give
individuality to each organisms.
When a cell divides, the DNA
preserves this individuality by
passing exact copies of itself to each
new cell.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

   - a nucleic acid of nucleotide
 monomers that plays several
 important roles in the processes that
 translate genetic information from
 DNA into protein products.
Roles of RNA

1. RNA acts as a messenger between
  DNA and the protein synthesis
  complexes known as ribosomes.
2. RNA forms vital portions of
  ribosomes.
3. RNA acts as an essential carrier
  molecule for amino acid to be used
  in protein synthesis.
Structure of RNA

• Instead of the base thymine, RNA contains
  the nitrogen base uracil (U). Uracil pair with
  adenine pair with adenine just as thymine
  does in DNA. Thus, RNA contains the four
  bases adenine, uracil, cytosine and guanine.
•    Like DNA, RNA is a nucleic made of
  bonded nucleotides. However, there are
  some important differences in the molecules.
  DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose, but
  RNA contains ribose, a slightly different
  sugar.
• Whereas, a DNA molecule takes the shape
Types of RNA
    There are three main kinds of RNA found in
   organisms:
1. Messenger RNA (mRNA) – carries information
   specifying amino acid sequences of proteins
   from DNA to ribosomes.
2. Transfer RNA (tRNA) – serves as adapter
   molecule in protein synthesis; translates mRNA
   codons into amino acid.
3. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) – plays catalytic
   (ribozyme) roles and structural roles in
   ribosomes.
How DNA replicates?

REPLICATION
  - the process by which molecule is
 copied.
A model for DNA
replication: the basic
concept
a.   The parent molecule has
     two complementary strands
     of DNA. Each base is paired
     by hydrogen bonding with
     its specific partner, A with T
     and G with C.
b.   The first step in replication is
     separation of the two DNA
     strands.
c.   Each parental strands new
     serves as a template that
     determine the order of
     nucleotides along a new
     complementary strand.
d.   The nucleotides are
     connected to form the sugar-
     phosphate backbone of the
     new strand and one new
     strand.
Does DNA replication follow
the conservative, semi-
conservative, or dispersive
model?
    Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl cultured E.
 coli bacteria for several generations on a medium
 containing nucleotide precursors labeled with a heavy
 isotope of 15N. The bacteria incorporated the heavy
 nitrogen into their DNA. The scientists then transferred
 the bacteria to a medium with only 14N, the lighter than
 the parental DNA made in the 15N medium. They
 distinguished the DNA by the difference in the densities
 through centrifuging DNA extracted from the bacteria.
a. Semi-conservative model
   - the two strands of the
      parental molecule separate
      and each function as a
      template for synthesis of a
      new, complementary
      strand.
b. Conservative model
   - the two parental strands
      reassociate after acting as
      templates for new strands.

c.    Dispersive model
     - each strand of both
       daughter molecule contain
       a mixture old and newly
       synthesized DNA.
Meselson and Stahl concluded
that DNA replication follows the
semi-conservative model by
comparing their results predicted by
each of the three models.
Protein Synthesis
  Genes specify proteins via transcription and
  translation.

Transcription
     -is the synthesis of RNA under the direction
  of DNA.
Translation
     -is the actual synthesis of a polypeptide,
  which occurs under the direction of mRNA.
The resulting RNA molecule is a faithful
transcript of the genes protein-building
instructions. Messenger RNA carries the genetic
message from the DNA to the protein
synthesizing machinery of the cell.
  The cell must translate the base sequence of
an mRNA molecule into the amino acid
sequence of a polypeptide. The sites of
translation are the ribosomes, complex particles
that facilitate the orderly linking of amino acid
into the polypeptide chains.
Why proteins could not
simply be translated
directly from DNA?
• It provides protection for the DNA
  and its genetic information.
• Using an RNA intermediate allows
  more copies of a protein to be made
  simultaneously and be translated
  repeatedly.
To summarize, cells are governed
 by a molecular chain of
 command:


DNA      RNA        PROTEIN
RECOMBINANT DNA or GENETIC
ENGINEERING

Genetic engineering
 - the intentional production of new genes
 and alteration of genomes by the
 substitution or addition of new genetic
 material.
Recombinant DNA
 - a DNA resulting from the insertion of a
 sequence of genes from one organism into
 the DNA of another organism
Gene Splicing
     is the cutting of DNA by
 enzymes and insertion of a piece of
 foreign DNA.

Gene Cloning
    is the production of multiple
 copies of genes.
How to extract DNA in
food?
• Materials needed:   • Equipment needed:

                      Blender
Banana                Coffee filter
Table salt            Table spoon
Ethyl alcohol         Graduated cylinder
                      Medicine dropper
Colorless shampoo
                      Test tube w/ cover
Distilled water       Beaker
Ice cubes             Bucket
• What to do?

Step 1.
  * In a blender, mix a ratio of one banana per 250 mL of distilled
    water.
  * Blend for 15-20 seconds, until the mixture is a solution.
Step 2.
  * In one of the 5 oz cups, make a solution consisting of 1 tsp. of
    shampoo and two pinches of table salt.
  * Add 20 mL of distilled water or until the cup is 1/3 full. Dissolve
    the salt and shampoo by stirring slowly with the plastic spoon to
    avoid foaming.
Step 3.
   * To the solution you made in step 2, add the three heaping
    teaspoons of the banana mixture from step 1. Mix the solution with
    the spoon for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4.
* While one member of your group mixes the banana solution, another
    member will place a #2 cone coffee filter inside the second 5 oz plastic
    cup. Fold the coffee filter‘s edge around the cup so that the filter does not
    touch the bottom of the cup.
Step 5.
  * Filter the mixture by pouring into the filter and letting the solution drain
    for several minutes until there is about 5 mL (covers the bottom of the
    cup) of filtrate to test.
Step 6.
  * Obtain a test tube of cold alcohol. For best results, the alcohol should be
    as cold as possible.
Step 7.
  * Fill the plastic pipette with banana solution.
Step 8.
  * Add the solution to the alcohol.
  * Let the solution set for 2-3 minutes without disturbing it. It is important
    not to shake the test tube.
• EXPECTED RESULTS

   You can watch the white DNA
 precipitate out into the alcohol layer.
 DNA has the appearance of white,
 stringy mucus.
The End




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