1. Information molecules
Mr. Bliss
Nucleic acids:
Information
molecules

2. Nucleic Acids
Examples
DNA
DeoxyriboNucleic Acid
RNA
RiboNucleic Acid

3. Nucleic Acids Function: genetic material stores information
genes
blueprint for building proteins
DNA  RNA  proteins
transfers information
blueprint for new cells
blueprint for next generation
DNA
proteins

4. DNA is a Polymer

5. RNA is a polymer too

6. Nucleotides (monomer)

7. Nucleotides
1 of 5, actually!

8. Sugar-Phosphate backbone

9. Nitrogenous Bases

10. Nucleotide chains Nucleic acids double-sided double helix A, C, G, T
phosphate
sugar
N base
Nucleotide chains
phosphate
sugar
N base
Nucleic acids
nucleotides chained into a polymer
DNA
double-sided
double helix
A, C, G, T
RNA
single-sided
A, C, G, U
strong bonds
phosphate
sugar
N base
phosphate
sugar
N base
RNA

11. Nitrogenous Bases
Uracil U

12. Copying DNA Replication copy DNA
2 strands of DNA helix are complementary
they are matching
have one, can build other
have one, can rebuild the whole
when cells divide, they must duplicate DNA exactly for the new “daughter” cells
Why is this a good system?

13. Watson and Crick … and others…
1953 | 1962

14. Rosalind Franklin Worked in the same building as Watson and Crick
Her X-Ray Crystallography work was shown to Watson without her knowledge
Died in 1958 of ovarian cancer due
to exposure to X-ray radiation

15. Let’s build some
DNA!