DNA and the genome

• What is DNA?

  • double-stranded polymer of nucleotides that forms a double helix
  • genetic material of the cell found in its nucleus
• Define genome

  entire genetic material of an organism
• why is understanding the human genome important?

  • important for development of medicine
  • searching for genes linked to disease
  • understanding and treating inherited disorders
  • tracing human migration patterns from the past
• what is a chromosome?

  long, coiled molecule of DNA that carries genetic information in the form of genes
• Define gene

  small section of DNA that codes for a specific sequence of amino acids which undergo polymerisation to form a protein