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Published byTrevor George Modified over 9 years ago
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DNA Discovering the Molecule of Inheritance
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QUESTION: People had long realized that offspring tend to resemble their parents. Question for scientists: “What is the hereditary molecule that gets passed from parent to offspring?”
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WHAT SCIENTISTS KNEW: 1. DNA Components: - Through testing on extracted DNA samples, scientists understood the basic ingredients of DNA but NOT the structure. - made of ______ different types of nucleotides 2. Protein Components - Large complex molecule made of 20 different amino acids (much variability)
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DNA Nucleotides Scientists at this point understood the chemical components of the DNA molecule (But not the Structure!) 3 Basic Parts 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose) Phosphate group Nitrogenous Base (4 kinds) Adenine Guanine Cytosine Thymine
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BIG DEBATE PROTEIN OR DNA????? Uh oh…sounds like the fixin’s for a science fight…..I hear snapping…..
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Frederick Griffith 1928 British Medical Officer Discovers that genetic information can be transferred from heat- killed bacteria cells to live ones. Pneumococcus (which infects mice), Pneumococcus S (smooth) lethal R (rough) strain non-lethal Experiment S strain were killed by heat, and their remains were added to R strain bacteria. formerly harmless R strain now was able to kill its host. CONCLUSIONS? This phenomenon, called transformation, provides the first evidence that the genetic material is a heat-stable chemical.
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Oswald Avery 1944 Used two different enzymes One digested DNA One digested Proteins Using different enzymes how can we modify Griffith’s experiment?
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Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase 1952 - Studies viruses, Bacteriophage – infects bacteria Viruses composed of a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) core protein coat (capsid) Viruses Inject hereditary information (DNA) into host cell host cell create many more virus particles.
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HERSHEY CHASE EXPERIMENT Used radioisotope labels P32 and S35 Phosphorus(P32) is a component of __________________ Sulfur (S35) is a components of ____________. HMMM…….What could we do with this?????
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Results Observed that the molecule that enters the bacterial cell, causing the infection was ……………. !!!!!!There is a clear correlation between DNA and genetic information.!!!!!!!
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DNA Structure Now what? Scientists realized that the DNA molecule needed to do 3 things Carry information generation to generation Code had to be translatable into proteins Easily copied during cell division
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When you do a puzzle, what strategies do you use? We knew the parts Sugar, phosphate group, nitrogenous bases (A, T, C, G) SHAPE???????
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Chargaff’s Data!
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Erwin Chargaff 1949 Discovery: amount of adenine equals the amount of thymine amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine CHARGAFF’S LAW!
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What did scientists know? DNA molecule of heredity DNA made of nucleotides 4 different types of nucleotides Difference involves which nitrogenous base it has. Chargaff’s rule; amount of A=T, amount of C=G Big Question: Now we know the pieces….how does all this go together?
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Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) Early 1950’s King’s College, London, England Using X-ray photography and crystalized DNA, took pictures of the molecule. Hinted that the DNA molecule is two strands wrapped around each other.
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James Watson & Francis Crick Working on developing model of DNA molecule Figured out the “ladder” 1953, shown one of Franklin’s X-ray picture indicating shape of molecule “twisted ladder” Published paper in 1953 of DNA being a double helix with two strands being wound around each other
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Double Helix Each DNA strand has a Sugar- Phosphate backbone Nitrogenous bases face inward towards each other Hydrogen bonds that develop between bases on adjoining strand keep helix together
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Nitrogenous Bases Purines Adenine and Guanine Pyrimadines Thymine and Cytosine
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This gives us 4 different types of nucleotides!
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Base Pairing Chargaff’s rule, A bonds to T G bonds to C. Weak hydrogen bonds connect the two bases.
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NOW WHAT? How does a simple molecule made of four pieces code for a whole organism? DNA Protein
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