DNA GENES CHROMOSOMES

Important Vocab

• Nucleus - called the "control center" of a cell. Holds all genetic information.

• Chromosome - the condensed form of DNA. Looks like an X. Just consists of DNA wrapped around proteins.

• Gene - a segment of DNA that codes for a specific trait.

• Nucleotide - makes up the "base pairs" that form the "steps" of the DNA ladder. Guanine, Cytosine, Adenine, Thymine (C-G, A-T) 

DNA Structure

DNA is made of nucleotides. A nucleotide is made up of a sugar, phosphate and a base.

DNA is made of smaller units called NUCLEOTIDES, which have 3 parts:

• Sugar

• Phosphate

• Nitrogen base

What is DNA? What does it stand for?

• DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid.

• It is the blueprint for life.

• It has the instructions for making the proteins which make up an organism.

DNA Bases

• Adenine

• Thymine

• Cytosine

• Guanine

• These 4 bases form complimentary pairs: 

  A pairs with T, C pairs with G.

Chromosomes

• Found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.

• Chromosomes contain the genetic material of an organism.

• Chromosomes are long strands of DNA 

  and special types of proteins that are all tightly packed together.

• Chromosomes contain many genes.

Genes

• The section of DNA that carries the information to 

  make one specific protein is called a gene; 

  it is a PIECE/portion of DNA.

• One chromosome may have more than 1,000 genes on it, 

  and each gene may be made of thousands of nucleotide base pairs.