1. How does DNA “tell” our cells what to do?

2. Chromosomes: Tightly packaged DNA

3. That’s about the length of a car!!!
Each cell in our body contains A LOT of DNA
If you stretched out the DNA from a single one of your cells, it would be 6 feet long!
That’s about the length of a car!!!

4. DNA Structure You can think of it like a ladder… This is the handrail
Often called the DNA “backbone”
This is a step
Each step is one of four bases

5. DNA Structure
How does this structure make a unique code for you versus me?
Purple
Red
Yellow…. And so on
The genetic code is in the ORDER of the bases!

6. DNA Structure Do you notice a pattern in the bases at all?
Green can only go with Red
Purple can only go with Yellow

7. DNA Structure: In more detail…
Each side of the DNA ladder is made up of a chain of nucleotides.
One nucleotide
DNA Backbone:
Phosphate Group
Sugar Molecule
Deoxyribose
4 Bases:
Adenine
Thymine
Guanine
Cytosine

8. DNA: DeoxyriboNucleic Acid
Every living thing contains DNA with only the same four bases!!!

9. DNA Replication: DNA Polymerase Helicase Involves two enzymes
Unwinds the DNA double helix
Creates the new strand of DNA, adding the correct bases
Original Strand
New Strand
DNA Polymerase
Helicase
New Strand
Original Strand
DNA Replication Video