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DNA
(DeoxyriboNucleic Acid)
DNA
• DNA is often called the
blueprint of life.
• Because it contains the
instructions needed for
an organism to grow,
develop, survive and
reproduce.
• In simple terms, DNA
contains the instructions
for making proteins
within the cell.
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Why DNA is often called the
blueprint of life?
• Because it contains the instructions needed for an
organism to grow, develop, survive and reproduce.
• In simple terms, DNA contains the instructions for
making proteins within the cell.

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Watson & Crick’s Model

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Why do we study DNA?

We study DNA for many

reasons, e.g.,
• its central importance
to all life on Earth,
• medical benefits such
as cures for diseases,
• better food crops.

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 Chromosomes and DNA
• Chromosomes are in the nucleus.
• Each chromosome is a long DNA molecule.
• Genes are specific DNA sequences located on
chromosomes.
• Your Genome, is the collection of all your genes.

If we picture genes like sentences (or any sequence of

characters that mean something) then we can picture
the genome as a whole book (something like an
instruction manual that a tonne of molecules are
following to make you)

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 The Shape of the Molecule
• DNA is a very long polymer.
• The basic shape is like a twisted ladder or
zipper.
• This is called a double helix.

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The Double Helix Molecule

•The DNA double

helix has two
strands twisted
together.

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 One Strand of DNA
• The backbone of the phosphat
e
molecule is
alternating
phosphates and
deoxyribose
deoxyribose sugar
• The teeth are
nitrogenous bases.

bases

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 O Nucleotides
O -P O
O
One deoxyribose together with
O its phosphate and base make a
O -P O nucleotide.
O O
O -P O
O Nitrogenous
O base
Phosphate
C

C
C

C C

O Deoxyribose
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One Strand of DNA
nucleotide
• One strand of DNA is a
polymer of
nucleotides.
• One strand of DNA has
many millions of
nucleotides.

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Four nitrogenous bases

DNA has four different bases:

• Cytosine C
• Thymine T
• Adenine A
• Guanine G
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Two Kinds of Bases in DNA

N
•Pyrimidines are single N C
ring bases. O C C
N C

•Purines are double

N
ring bases. N C
C C N
N C
N C

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Thymine and Cytosine are
pyrimidines

• Thymine and cytosine each have one ring of

carbon and nitrogen atoms.

O
N
N N C
C
O C C
O C C C
N C
N C
thymine cytosine
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Adenine and Guanine are
purines

•Adenine and guanine each have two rings of

carbon and nitrogen atoms.

N O

N C N C

C C N C C
N N

N C N C
Guanine C
Adenine C
N N
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Two Stranded DNA
• Remember, DNA has
two strands that fit
together something
like a zipper.
• The teeth are the
nitrogenous bases
but why do they
stick together?

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 C
Hydrogen

N
Bonds
• The bases attract each other because

C
of hydrogen bonds.

C
O

N
• Hydrogen bonds are relatively weak

N
but there are millions and millions of N

C
them in a single molecule of DNA. C N
• The bonds between cytosine and C C O

guanine are shown here with dotted C N

lines O
• When making hydrogen bonds, N C
cytosine always pairs up with O C CC
guanine N
N C
• Adenine always pairs up with N C
thymine C N
• Adenine is bonded to thymine here C
C C
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 Watson & Crick proposed…

DNA had specific pairing between the nitrogen bases

ADENINE – THYMINE
CYTOSINE - GUANINE
DNA was made of 2 long stands of nucleotides
arranged in a specific way called the “Complementary
Rule”
DNA Double Helix

“Rungs of ladder”

Nitrogenous
Base (A,T,G or C)

“Legs of ladder”

Phosphate &
Sugar Backbone
 DNA Double Helix
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O 3

3
O
P 5 P
5
O
1 G C 3
2
4 4
2 1
3 5
O
P P
5
T A 3

O
5
P 3 P
Nitrogenous Bases

• PURINES
1. Adenine (A)

2. Guanine (G) A or G

• PYRIMIDINES
3. Thymine (T)

4. Cytosine (C) T or C
 Chargaff’s Rule
Chargaff's rules state that DNA from any species of any organism should have a 1:1
stoichiometric ratio (base pair rule) of purine and pyrimidine bases (i.e., A+G=T+C).

More specifically, that the amount of guanine should be equal to cytosine and the amount of
adenine should be equal to thymine. This pattern is found in both strands of the DNA.

• Adenine must pair with Thymine

• Guanine must pair with Cytosine

• Their amounts in a given DNA molecule will be

about the same.

T A G C
BASE-PAIRINGS

H-bonds

G C

T A
Genetic Diversity…
• Different arrangements of
NUCLEOTIDES in a nucleic
acid (DNA) provides the key
to DIVERSITY among living
organisms.
The Code of Life…

• The “code” of the chromosome is the SPECIFIC

ORDER that bases occur.

A T C G T A T G C G G…
 All cells contain the same DNA
• Different sections of DNA are “turned on” in
different cells
• Allows different cells to perform different functions

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