1. Notes 13.1
DNA

2. The DNA structure of certain genes are unique to each individual
DNA Terms
DNA fingerprinting, DNA profiling, DNA typing
All terms applied to the discovery by Alec Jeffreys and colleagues at Leicester University, England
The DNA structure of certain genes are unique to each individual

3. Chromosomes
Strands of genetic material with approximately 30,000 genes
Composed of repeating units of nucleotides
Nucleotides consist of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base
Nitrogen bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G)
Specifically pair A-T and C-G
Called complementary base-pairing

4. How does it Work?
The sequences of base pairs grouped in threes (called codons)
Codons code for a specific amino acid
Amino acids are joined to make a protein
Each protein has specific function

5. Replication of DNA The process in which a DNA strand copies itself
Double helix is unraveled
Base pairs copy one strand of the DNA while other nucleotides base pair with the other strand
Results in 2 identical copies of the DNA strand

6. Replication cont…
The enzyme responsible for facilitating this process is DNA polymerase
Scientists can now use DNA polymerase to copy a DNA strand outside the living cell
Process is called PCR
(Polymerase chain reaction)
Which uses a DNA Thermal Cycler to double the DNA and finally to multiply a million times

7. Useful for replicating small pieces of DNA found at a crime scene
Replication cont…
Useful for replicating small pieces of DNA found at a crime scene
Human Genome Project – determined the order of bases on all 23 pairs of chromosomes

8. Recombinant DNA: Cutting and Slice
Genetic code – the specific sequence of letter that specifies a protein
Restriction enzymes – certain chemicals that cut DNA into fragments that can be incorporated into another DNA strand
Recombined DNA is usually with the bacterial DNA
Bacterial DNA multiplies rapidly which produces new recombined DNA
Uses include: human growth hormone, insulin production, crop production

9. 13.1 Questions Why is DNA important to forensic scientists?
What are genes and what is their function?
Describe the basic structure of the DNA molecule.
Name the four bases associated with DNA. How are these bases paired on the DNA molecule?
What aspects of DNA define the role and function of a DNA molecule?
What is the human genome? Name two medical applications of information about the human genome.
Briefly describe the process of DNA replication.
What is PCR? Why is it useful to forensic scientists?
What is recombinant DNA? How is recombinant DNA technology used to treat diabetes?