DNA

3.01

Ms.Carrker




DNA is made up of nucleotides.  Remember that from 2.01?  The nucleotide is made of three parts: deoxyribose, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base.  The nitrogen base can be one of four things:  adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. 


Go to this website and click on What is DNA? Follow through the animation and answer the following:

1.  adenine always pairs with __________________

2. guanine always pairs with __________________



There are two steps to making proteins from DNA.  The first step is called transcription.  This is where you go from the DNA to and mRNA strand.  The next step is translation.  This is where the mRNA moves to the ribosomes and tRNA brings amino acids in the correct sequence.



Transcription is when the code from a DNA sequence is used to make a complementary strand of mRNA.  For example if your DNA strand was AGTTCGA the mRNA that would be made from that strand is UCAAGCU.  A goes with U and G goes with C in RNA.

Watch a video of transcription here, then go and make your own mRNA here.



Translation is when the mRNA moves to the ribosomes and tRNA molecules bring amino acids to the mRNA by every three bases, called codons.  Use a codon chart to find out what amino acids match with the mRNA sequence. 

Watch a video of translation here, and then translate your own mRNA here.