Download The DNA Song

The DNA Song
Deoxyribose and phosphate gro-ups,
Make up the back-bone of DNA
And the ba-ses make up the ru-ungs
Ooh learn about DNA
In replication, heli-ca-ase
Splits up the helix , into two strands
Then an enzyme builds new pieces,
It’s DNA po-ly- merase
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), is composed of
monomers, called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is
made of a sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and
one of 4 bases: cytosine, guanine, thymine, and
adenine. These nucleotides link together by covalent
(strong) bonds between the sugars and phosphate
groups to form strands. Two of the strands link
together at the bases with hydrogen (weak) bonds.
During DNA replication, an enzyme, helicase,
“unzips” the DNA double helix by breaking the weak
hydrogen bonds between the bases. Another enzyme,
DNA polymerase, then moves along each strand of
the molecule to rebuild each missing half by matching
up nucleotides that contain complementary bases to
the original strand. Remember the base pairing rule:
C-G, and A-T.
In transcription, we make R-N-A,
A mes-sen-ger, into the cell,
It carries info to make proteins,
It’s messenger RNA
In transcription, a single strand of mRNA is copied
from DNA, by an enzyme called RNA polymerase.
In this case, however, thymine is replaced with uracil,
so the “new” base pairing rule is C-G & A-U. The
mRNA is then able to move through the nuclear
membrane into the cytosol. Remember that all RNA is
single stranded.
In translation, we build proteins,
To carry out the body’s needs,
We use amino’s linked together,
By transfer RNA.
Transfer RNA (tRNA) is also single stranded, like
mRNA, but it is held together in a “hairpin” or “T”
shape by hydrogen bonds. It carries a specific amino
acid on one end based on a series of three bases on the
other end called an anti-codon. There are only 20
amino acids that make up all of the proteins in your
body.
Amino acids hook on one end,
Of transfer RNA,
Anticodons, put them in order,
Ba-ased on mRNA.
In order to make the proteins, tRNA must use mRNA
as a template (remember, mRNA has the “directions”
from DNA). The anti-codons on tRNA match up to
complimentary codons on mRNA. Translation starts
with a start codon on mRNA and ends with a stop
codon on mRNA.
Ribosomes, pair up the codons,
With the matching, tRNA
When they’re done, we have a protein,
A chain of monomers
The whole process of assembling proteins is
accomplished by ribosomes. Ribosomes are made up
of ribosomal RNA (rRNA). The ribosomes match
the tRNA anti-codons to the mRNA codons, then link
all of the amino acids together. These long links of
amino acids are called polypeptides, or proteins.
These polypeptides, they determine,
The very function of every cell,
Without this process, we’d only wonder
Could we sing this song very well?