Download B-4.1 Compare DNA and RNA in terms of structure, nucleotides, and

B-4.1
Compare DNA and RNA in terms of structure,
nucleotides, and base pairs.
What you should know:
 There are two types of nucleic acids.
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
- Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Both DNA and RNA are made of small units called nucleotides. The nucleotides have three
parts:
1. A nitrogen base(can be one of the
following)
 Cytosine (C)
 Guanine (G)
 Adenine (A)
 Thymine (T) (DNA only)
 Uracil (U)
(RNA only)
2. A simple sugar
 Deoxyribose
 Ribose
(DNA only)
(RNA only)
3. A phosphate group
Structure of a Nucleotide
The basic structure of the two molecules is different.
 DNA
1. Double Stranded
2. Deoxyribose Sugar
3. Complementary Bases:
 Guanine (G) will only bond with Cytosine (C).
 Thymine (T) will only bond with Adenine (A).

RNA consists of a single chain of nucleotides with nitrogenous bases exposed along the side.
1. Single Stranded
2. Ribose Sugar
3. Complementary Bases:
 Guanine (G) will only bond with Cytosine (C).
 Uracil (U) will only bond with Adenine (A).
What they might ask:
The objective of this indicator is to compare DNA and RNA in terms of structure, nucleotides
and base pairs; therefore, the primary focus of assessment should be to detect similarities and
differences between structure of DNA and RNA, the nucleotides that compose DNA and RNA,
and the bases that bond to form DNA and RNA.
 Compare DNA and RNA
 recognize the names of DNA and RNA
 identify the parts of a nucleotide
 recognize the names of the 5 bases and the two sugars
 identify parts on an illustration of a DNA or an RNA molecule.
B-4.2
Summarize the relationship among DNA, genes, and
chromosomes.
What you should know:
that DNA, genes, and chromosomes compose the molecular basis of heredity.
 DNA – all genetic material in a cell - blueprint for making proteins
 A chromosome is one piece of DNA – 46 in humans
 A gene - a specific part of a chromosome that codes for a particular trait
○ Each chromosome consists of hundreds of genes determining the many proteins for an
individual organism.
What they might ask:
 summarize the relationship among DNA, genes, and chromosomes
B-4.3
Explain how DNA functions as the code of life and the
blueprint for proteins.
What you should know:
 Proteins are made from the DNA code
 Each cell in an organism’s body contains a complete set of chromosomes.
 Organisms that are closely related may have genes that code for the same proteins that make
the organisms similar.

DNA replication is carried out by a series of enzymes.
○ Helicase - unzips the two strands of DNA
○ DNA Polymerase – adds new nucleotides to each side
○ The result is two identical DNA molecules.
What they might ask:
 summarize the role of DNA as the code of life;
 summarize the process of DNA replication;
 infer why organisms that are similar in structure or function often share many of the same proteins and genes.
B-4.4
Summarize the basic processes involved in protein
synthesis (including transcription and translation).
What you should know:
 When a protein is needed, the cell goes through protein synthesis A protein can also be called a polypeptide or a peptide chain
 A copy of the DNA is made to move from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, to be used as a
blueprint or recipe to make a protein.
 3 types of RNA involved: mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA Part 1 of Protein Synthesis: Transcription a copy of the DNA is made, called messenger RNA (mRNA).
 An enzyme attaches to the gene and opens DNA at that spot
 RNA polymerase forms mRNA from DNA code
 Uracil replaces Thymine in RNA
 mRNA leaves the nucleus
Part 2 of Protein Synthesis: Translation mRNA attacheds to a ribosome (rRNA) in the cytoplasm
 ribosome reads the mRNA code to create the protein
 Ribosome reads the first codon – 3 bases. .
 transfer RNA (tRNA) has the complementary anticodon and the matching amino acid
 Ribosome moves to the next codon
 Next tRNA attaches and the two amino acids connect by a peptide bond
 This continues until the entire protein is formed
 The tRNA, rRNA, and mRNA disassemble
Amino
Acid
Chart - Used
to
-
determine what amino acids the mRNA calls for
Read the mRNA codon (3 letters)
Find the correct amino acid
What they might ask:
 summarize the processes involved in protein synthesis
 interpret illustrations of the processes of transcription, translation, and protein synthesis;
 compare the processes of transcription and translation;
 sequence the steps of transcription and translation;
 explain the significance of each step to the overall process of protein synthesis.