Download DNA Structure and Replication

Name ____________________________________
FUN WITH DNA!
WHAT IS DNA?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/tour_dna.html
1. Where are the instructions for every living thing located?
2. What does ‘DNA’ stand for?
3. What is the scientific name for the “twisted ladder” shape of DNA?
4. What are the base pairings?
5. Where do you find hydrogen bonds?
6. The DNA code letters make ‘words’. How many letters long are each word?
7. If we put these ‘words’ together, what do they make?
SIZE OF CHROMOSOME
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/
1. Check out this sliding scale of relative size! What are the other objects in your field of
vision around the same size as a chromosome?
2. How large is a chromosome in micrometers (μm)?
WHAT IS A GENE?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/tour_gene.html
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Answer the question what is a gene?
What is the blood example of genes?
How many genes do humans have?
Draw a hemoglobin molecule with oxygen.
5. What is an example of a problem that comes from a mutated hemoglobin gene?
6. What are two other examples of products of genes?
BUILD DNA
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/builddna/
1. Practice pairing up nitrogenous bases. After 20 pairs you can move on and read the
bottom of the page.
2. Your body produces _________________ new cells a day.
3. How long does it take for your cells to replicate your DNA?
4. When DNA is replicated during the cell cycle?
5. What is the average rate of DNA replication?
6. How does DNA speed up the process of replication?
7. How are the bases of the nucleotides held together?
8. Name a few reasons why base pairing is important.
DNA REPLICATION
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/dna/DNAi_replication_vo1.html
1. Watch this video first, then proceed to the next link.
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/dna_double_helix/dnahelix.html
1. What is the ‘spiral staircase’ really called?
2. The two intertwining strands are made of what?
3. The “rungs” are made of?
Click “Organism 1” to start copying both sides of its DNA strand. The better/faster
you are, the less mutations!
4. How many mutations did you get? _______ How many are allowed? ______
5. What is the name to which the first DNA strand belongs?
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6. Try one or two more organisms- did you guess correctly?
Try the replication exercise on the left side of this site:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/dna/shockwave.html
1. How many base pairs do all our 46 chromosomes in every one of our cells contain?
2. What do you notice about the two strands of DNA?
http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~johnson/teaching/genetics/animations/dna_replication.htm
1. Explain role of DNA Helicase.
2. DNA polymerase:
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/dna/DNAi_replication_vo2.html
1. Watch this more detailed video. Observe the directionality of the leading and lagging
strands as DNA gets copied.
DNA COILING
http://www.biostudio.com/demo_freeman_dna_coiling.htm#
1. Watch this animation of DNA coiling into a chromosome.