DNA, its Structure, and Protein Synthesis

DNA

• DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It's the chemical that all the genetic material in a cell is made from.
• It contains coded information- basically all the instructions to put an organism together and make it work.
• So it's what's in your DNA that determines what inherited characteristics you have.
• DNA is found in the nucleus of animal and plant cells, in really long structures called chromosomes.
• Chromosomes normally come in pairs.
• DNA is a polymer. It's made up of two strands coiled together in the shape of a double helix.
• A gene is a small section of DNA that is found on a chromosome.
• Each gene codes for a particular sequence of amino acids which are put together to make a specific protein.
• Only 20 amino acids are used, but they make up thousands of different proteins.
• Genes simply tell cells in what order to put the amino acids together.
• DNA also determines what proteins the cell produces, e.g. haemoglobin, keratin.
• That in turn determines what type of cell it is, e.g. red blood cell, skin cell.
• Genome is just a fancy term for the entire set of genetic material in an organism.
• Scientists have worked out the complete human genome.
• Understanding the genome allows scientists to identify genes in the genome linked to different diseases. It also helps us know which genes are linked to inherited diseases and could help us to understand them better an ddevelop effective treatments for them. Also, scientists can look at genomes to trace the migration of certain populations of people around the world. All modern humans are descended from a common ancestor who lived in Africa, but humans can now be found…