B6__Inheritance-and-Evolution

Definition

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and it is a Polymer made up of 2 strands in a double helix. Between the 2 strands are the 4 nitrogenous bases lined up in rows which come together to form a sequence of pairs.

A gene is a small section of DNA on a chromosome - a triplet of bases that codes for a specific Protein. Each gene codes for a particular sequence of Amino Acids, together a chain of amino acids can join to make a protein.

The genome is all the genes coding for all of the proteins within an organism.


Structure

DNA is made up of many small parts called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is made up of one sugar molecule, one phosphate molecule (which form the backbone) and one of the four types of organic bases:

  • Adenine (A)
  • Cytosine (C)
  • Guanine (G)
  • Thymine (T)

A pairs with T and G pairs with C (AT, GC).