Ms. Frost  A world of biology.....
  • Welcome
    • Data bases for labs
    • IB Calendar
  • IB: Introduction to cells
    • Origin and Division of Cells
    • Membrane Structure and transport
    • Structure of DNA and RNA
    • DNA Replication
    • Transcription and gene expression
    • Translation
    • Genetic modification and biotechnology
  • Molecules to Metabolism
    • Molecular diagrams
    • Water
    • Carbohydrates and Lipids
    • Proteins and Enzymes
    • Lactase / Enzyme Inhibition
    • Cellular Respiration
    • Phases of Cellular Respiration
    • Earth atmosphere / Color
    • Photosynthesis
  • Digestion and absorption
    • The kidney and osmoregulation
    • Neurons and synapses
    • Muscle and Movement
    • The blood system
    • Gas exchange
    • Defense against infectious disease
    • Antibody production and vaccination
    • Hormones, Homeostasis
    • Sexual reproduction
  • Genetics and Genes
    • Chromosomes
    • Meoisis
    • Inheritance
    • MORE Inheritance
  • Evidence of evolution
    • Natural selection
    • Gene pools and speciation
    • Classification of biodiversity
    • Cladisitics
  • Ecology Species, communities and ecosystems
    • Energy Flow
    • Carbon Cycling
    • Climate change
  • Option C: Species and communities
    • Option C: Communities and ecosystems
    • Option C: Impacts of human on ecosystems
    • Option C: Conservation of biodiversity
  • Plants: Transport in the xylem of plants
    • Transport in the phloem of plants
    • Growth in plants
    • Reproduction in plants
  • Anatomy Language
    • Epithelial/Connective/Skeletal
    • Muscular / Nervous Tussue
    • Heart
  • Western Hills Website
  • Science in the News
  • World Population Clock

DNA Replication 

Understandings:
Nucleosomes help to supercoil the DNA.
DNA structure suggested a mechanism for DNA replication.

Some regions of DNA do not code for proteins but have other important functions.
     Aim 6: Design models to illustrate the stages of DNA replication.
The regions of DNA that do not code for proteins should be limited to regulators of gene expression, introns, telomeres and genes for tRNA.
Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes.  Without these caps, DNA strands become damaged and our cells can't do their job. With each successive cell division, a minute part of our DNA is lost. 
Elizabeth H Blackburn  1948 -                  Australia    Carol Greider  1961 -                                           USA
In 1980, Elizabeth Blackburn discovered that telomeres have a particular DNA. In 1982, together with Jack Szostak, she further proved that this DNA prevents chromosomes from being broken down. Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider discovered the enzyme telomerase, which produces the telomeres' DNA, in 1984.
Picture
Elizabeth Blackburn
Picture
Carol Greider

Skill: Analysis of Meselson and Stahl’s results to obtain support for the theory of semi-conservative replication of DNA.        Click to learn about the Meselson Stahl experiment.  Do the quiz at the end.
meselson and stahl experiment
Picture
Another animation here!

DNA replication is continuous on the leading strand and discontinuous on the lagging strand.
• DNA replication is carried out by a complex system of enzymes.

    The replication of DNA is semi-conservative and depends on complementary base pairing.
    Helicase unwinds the double helix and separates the two strands by breaking hydrogen bonds.
    DNA polymerase III links nucleotides together to form a new strand, using the pre-existing strand as a template.
    
DNA polymerases can only add nucleotides to the 3’ end of a primer.
Details of DNA replication differ between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Only the prokaryotic system is expected.
The proteins and enzymes involved in DNA replication should include helicase, DNA gyrase, single strand binding proteins, DNA primase and DNA polymerases I and III.

​DNA replication made easy - with a little review thrown in:
How nucleotides are added in replication

Application: Use of Taq DNA polymerase to produce multiple copies of DNA rapidly by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
How are multiple copies of DNA made?
how pcr works! watch!

Application: Use of nucleotides containing dideoxyribonucleic acid to stop DNA replication in preparation of samples for base sequencing.
 Dideoxynucleotides are chain-elongating inhibitors of DNA polymerase, used in the Sanger method for DNA sequencing. They are also known as 2',3' dideoxynucleotides, and abbreviated as ddNTPs (ddGTP, ddATP, ddTTP and ddCTP).
Sanger animation

Watch the video to understand Frederick Griffith's experiment of his discovery of a 'transforming principle'.

​The link below shows an animation for Griffith and how it was supported by Avery, MacLeod and McCarty to provide support for transformation discovery.  
​
Transformation experiment animation

DNA gyrase, also called Topoisomerase, functions to stabilize DNA in replication.
Theory of knowledge:
    Highly repetitive sequences were once classified as “junk DNA” showing a degree of confidence that it had no role. To what extent do the labels and categories used in the pursuit of knowledge affect the knowledge we obtain?
Application: Tandem repeats are used in DNA profiling.
         A tandem repeat is a sequence of two or more DNA base pairs that is repeated in such a way that the repeats lie adjacent to each other on the chromosome. Tandem repeats are generally associated with non-coding DNA. In some instances, the number of times the DNA sequence  is repeated is variable.
How ethical is it to keep a database of convicted felons' DNA profiles? Can we rely on DNA fingerprints for conviction? Many ethical issues surround the use of DNA in forensic technology.  investigate the article below:
forensics and dna fingerprinting
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  • Welcome
    • Data bases for labs
    • IB Calendar
  • IB: Introduction to cells
    • Origin and Division of Cells
    • Membrane Structure and transport
    • Structure of DNA and RNA
    • DNA Replication
    • Transcription and gene expression
    • Translation
    • Genetic modification and biotechnology
  • Molecules to Metabolism
    • Molecular diagrams
    • Water
    • Carbohydrates and Lipids
    • Proteins and Enzymes
    • Lactase / Enzyme Inhibition
    • Cellular Respiration
    • Phases of Cellular Respiration
    • Earth atmosphere / Color
    • Photosynthesis
  • Digestion and absorption
    • The kidney and osmoregulation
    • Neurons and synapses
    • Muscle and Movement
    • The blood system
    • Gas exchange
    • Defense against infectious disease
    • Antibody production and vaccination
    • Hormones, Homeostasis
    • Sexual reproduction
  • Genetics and Genes
    • Chromosomes
    • Meoisis
    • Inheritance
    • MORE Inheritance
  • Evidence of evolution
    • Natural selection
    • Gene pools and speciation
    • Classification of biodiversity
    • Cladisitics
  • Ecology Species, communities and ecosystems
    • Energy Flow
    • Carbon Cycling
    • Climate change
  • Option C: Species and communities
    • Option C: Communities and ecosystems
    • Option C: Impacts of human on ecosystems
    • Option C: Conservation of biodiversity
  • Plants: Transport in the xylem of plants
    • Transport in the phloem of plants
    • Growth in plants
    • Reproduction in plants
  • Anatomy Language
    • Epithelial/Connective/Skeletal
    • Muscular / Nervous Tussue
    • Heart
  • Western Hills Website
  • Science in the News
  • World Population Clock