16 DNA Structure
16 DNA Structure
16 DNA Structure
6
The Shape of the Molecule
8
One Strand of DNA
• The backbone of phosphate
the molecule is
alternating
phosphates and deoxyribose
deoxyribose
sugar
• The teeth are
nitrogenous
bases
bases.
9
O Nucleotides
O -P O
O
One deoxyribose together
O with its phosphate and base
O -P O make a nucleotide.
O O
O -P O
O Nitrogenous
O base
Phosphate
C
C C
O Deoxyribose 10
One Strand of DNA
nucleotide
• One strand of
DNA is a polymer
of nucleotides.
• One strand of
DNA has many
millions of
nucleotides.
11
Four nitrogenous bases
DNA has four different bases:
• Cytosine C
• Thymine T
• Adenine A
• Guanine G
12
Two Kinds of Bases in DNA
N
• Pyrimidines are N C
O C C
single ring bases.
N C
• Purines are N
N C
double ring C C
bases. N C
N
N C
13
Thymine and Cytosine are
pyrimidines
N O
N C N C
C C N C C
N N
N C N C
C
Adenine N C Guanine N 15
Two Stranded DNA
• Remember, DNA
has two strands
that fit
together
something like a
zipper.
• The teeth are
the nitrogenous
bases but why
do they stick
together?
16
In your notes, write in the base pairs for the following:
Hydrogen Bonds
• The bases attract each
N
other because of
hydrogen bonds.
C
N
N
• Hydrogen bonds are weak
but there are millions
C
and millions of them in a
N
O
single molecule of DNA.
N
• The bonds between
C
N
cytosine and guanine are C N
shown here with dotted
C C O
lines 18
C N
Hydrogen Bonds, cont.
O
• When making N C
hydrogen bonds,
cytosine always O C C C
pairs up with N C
guanine
• Adenine always
pairs up with
thymine
• Adenine is bonded
to thymine here 19
Chargraff’s Rule:
• Adenine and Thymine
always join together
A T
• Cytosine and Guanine
always join together
C G
20
DNA by the Numbers
• Each cell has about 2
m of DNA.
• The average human has
75 trillion cells.
• The average human has
enough DNA to go from
the earth to the sun
more than 400 times. The earth is 150 billion m
• DNA has a diameter of or 93 million miles from
only 0.000000002 m. the sun.
21
THE INSTRUCTIONS
ARE IN THE SEQUENCE
OF NUCLEOTIDES.
The components that make
up the genetic code are
common to all organisms!
A T C G
If we all have the
same
G C components of A T
DNA, why do we
look different
A T from other G C
people and from
other organisms
C G like horses or T A
plants?
DNA of a horse DNA of a human