DNA

• DNA - double helix of base pairs
• DNA contains all of an organisms genetic material - the chemical instructions it needs to grow and develop
• DNA is arranged in chromosomes - Chromosomes are long molecules of coiled DNA the DNA is then divided up into short sections called genes
• Each of two DNA strands is made up of nucleotides joined together in a long chain - this makes a polymer
• Nucleotides contain - small molecule called a base - contains a sugar, a phosphate group
• The bases are - A (adenine) - C (cytosine) - G (guanine) - T (thymine)
• A pairs with T

  C pairs with G

  This is called complementary base pairing
• DNA is a polymer - a long chain of monomers joined together by covalent bonds
• Proteins are made by reading the code in DNA
• A section of DNA that codes for a particular protein is called a Gene
• Proteins are made of - amino acids, R groups, and a phosphate group
• Each amino acid is coded for a sequence of three bases on the DNA called a triplet code
• Proteins are synthesised in Ribosomes
• mRNA - is similar to DNA but is shorter and only a single strand
• Protein Synthesis