5.3--DNA Structure and Function

• DNA Stands for deoxyribose nucleic acid
• DNA is heritable an goes from parent to offspring
• Genetics is the study of inheritance patterns
• DNA is a nucleic acid, a biomolecule, composed of nucleotides, the monomers
• The biomolecules are nucleic acids, lipids, proteins, and carbs
• Nucleotides are composed of sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a base
• The sugar and phosphate compose the sugar-phosphate backbone that maintains the DNA structure
• The base is what contains the actual genetic code
• The four types of bases are adenine with thymine and cytosine with guanine
• DNA is in a double-helix shape
• When the nucleotide bases are not paired correctly, a mutation occurs
• The Hershey and Chase experiments led to the conclusion that DNBA is the genetic material, NOT a protein