GenBio

• DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)


  Molecule which contains all the instructions that an organism requires to develop, live, and reproduce
• DNA is passed down from parents to offspring
• Nucleotides


  Building blocks of DNA
• Friedrich Miescher (1844-1895)


  Isolated the material nuclein when studying pus cells from surgical bandages
• Nuclein


  Groups of protein, amino acid, and such
• Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins


  Performed x-ray crystallography to analyze the structure of DNA
• Role of DNA Molecules

  • Primary genetic material in almost all living organisms
  • Storage of genetic information
  • Capacity to be replicated and inherited during reproduction of cell
  • Provide avenues for mutation to enhance genetic diversity
• DNA was first found in the nucleus that's why it is called a nucleic acid
• DNA is also found in mitochondria and chloroplast
• DNA shape


  Double helix, which is like a twisted ladder
• Components of each nucleotide

  • Sugar group (deoxyribose)
  • Phosphate group
  • Nitrogenous base
• Glycosidic bond


  One of the two types of chemical bonds in DNA
• Phosphoester bond


  One of the two types of chemical bonds in DNA
• DNA is double-stranded, RNA is single-stranded
• Monomers of DNA


  • Pyrimidines - single-ringed bases (cytosine, thymine, uracil)
  • Purine - double-ringed base (adenine, guanine)
• ATGC


  Adenine—Thymine, Cytosine—Guanine
• Chargaff's Rule states that for every monomer pair, bases are almost equal in any sample of DNA
• DNA are said to be antiparallel
• RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is single-stranded, has the base uracil instead of thymine in DNA, has ribose instead of deoxyribose in DNA, and is a product of transcription of DNA
• Types of RNA


  • messenger RNA (mRNA) - provides template for protein synthesis during translation
  • ribosomal RNA (rRNA) - plays a structural and catalytic role during translation and creates areas where it takes place
  • transfer RNA (tRNA) - decodes and transfers amino acids to ribosomes
• Binary fission


  Asexual reproduction by a separation of the body into two new bodies
• Blastulation


  Hollow sphere of cells, or blastomeres, produced during the development of an embryo by repeated cleavage of a fertilized egg
• Budding


  Asexual mode of producing new organisms from a small part of the parent's body
• Embryo


  Initial stage of development for a multicellular organism
• Embryogenesis


  Study of the formation and development of an embryo
• Fertilization


  Fusion of a sperm nucleus and an egg nucleus to form a zygote
• Fragmentation


  Form of asexual reproduction wherein a parent organism breaks into fragments, each capable of growing independently into a new individual
• Gametogenesis


  Production of sperm (spermatogenesis) and eggs (oogenesis), takes place through the process of meiosis
• Gastrulation


  Process during embryonic development that changes the embryo from a blastula with a single layer of cells to a gastrula containing multiple layers of cells
• Juvenile


  Young or Immature
• Larva


  Young insect or animal that has not yet developed into a pupa or adult
• Maturation


  Process of becoming completely developed, or grown physically
• Metamorphosis


  Complete change of character, appearance, or condition, or the process by which insects and some animals develop into adults
• Naiad/Nymph


  Immature form of an insect which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage
• Organogenesis


  Biological process of forming organs in the developing embryo
• Parthenogenesis


  Form of asexual reproduction by self-impregnation resulting in the production of a zygote from an unfertilized egg
• Pupa


  Stage of insect development between larva and adult, when larval structures break down and adult structures appear
• Zona pellucida


  Specialized area surrounding mammalian oocytes or eggs, also known as an egg coat