DNA: The Molecule of Heredity

it is very small and very complicated

it's in everything

it serves as the blueprint for traits of all living things

because we eat it every day for energy

Double helical structure of DNA

Triple Helical Structure of DNA

Double helical structure of RNA

Triple Helical Structure of RNA

Nucleotides

Ribosomes

Purines

Pyrimidines

A--T and G--C

A--G and C--T

G--T and A--C

A--C and T--G

T A G G A C T

A T G G T G A

A T C C T G A

T T C C A G T

60%

40%

20%

10%

39% Adenine

39% Guanine

39% Thymine

39% combined Cytosine and Guanine

22% C, 22% G, 28% A, and 28%T

22% C, 28% G, 22% A, and 28%T

28% C, 28% G, 28% A, and 28%T

22% C, 22% G, 22% A, and 22%T

a phosphate group is at the 3' end

a phosphate group is at the 5' end

a hydroxyl (OH) group is at the 5' end

a water molecule is attached to the 3' end

a consistent diameter throughout the molecule

hydrogen bonding along the phosphate-sugar backbone

covalent bonding between bases

mutations to occur easilty