DNA Flashcards
What must the genetic material be capable of doing?
- replication with sufficient fidelity so organisms can pass on their characteristics to their offspring
- undergoing some change or evolution could not occur
- encoding vast amounts of information in order to programme the complexity of living organisms
Griffiths - Discovers Genetic Transformation
Experiment Description
- type IIR living, non virulent bacteria injected into mouse, the mouse survives and no bacteria are recovered
- IIIS bacteria with polysaccharide capsule, living and virulent injected into mouse, mouse dies and IIIS bacteria recovered
- IIIS with capsule but heat killed, injected into mouse, mouse survives, no bacteria recovered
- IIR living, non virulent and IIIS heat killed, nonvirulent both injected into mouse, mouse dies, live IIIS recovered even though it was live IIR and dead IIIS injected
Griffiths - Discover Genetic Transformation
Conclusions
- Griffith’s thought that the live IIR were taking up something from the dead IIIS enabling them to become smooth
- this was called the transforming principle
1944 - Avery
Showing DNA was the transforming principle using rough and smooth bacteria
- start with RNA and DNA from S (smooth) bacteria
- treat with RNase
- only DNA remains
- mix with R (rough) bacteria
- plate on growth medium
- S transformants produced, some colonies had smooth phenotype instead of rough
1944 - Avery
Showing that RNA was not the transforming principle using rough and smooth bacteria
- start with RNA and DNA from smooth bacteria
- treat with DNase
- only RNA remains
- mix with rough bacteria
- plate on growth medium
- no S transformants produced, all colonies have rough phenotype
1944 - Avery
Conclusions
-the DNA must contain the instructions for the production of the smooth phenotype
1952 - Hershey & Chase - Used bacteriophage T2 to demonstrate that DNA was the genetic material
-preparation of radioactively labelled T2
i) T2 phage mixed with E.coli and grown on medium containing radioactive phosphorous (P32), phosphorous is only in the DNA not the proteins so only DNA is labelled. This produces T2 phages with radioactively labelled DNA
ii) T2 phage mixed with E.coli and grown on medium containing radioactive sulphur (S35), sulphur only found in protein not DNA. This produces T2 phages with radioactively labelled head, sheath and tail fibres but not the DNA.
1952 - Hershey & Chase - Used bacteriophage T2 to demonstrate that DNA was the genetic material
-experiment to show that DNA is the genetic material
i) P32 labelled phages mixed with e.coil, blended to separate phage ghosts and E.coli infected with phage DNA, centrifuged, radioactivity only recovered in the host and not in the phage ghosts
ii) S35 labelled phages mixed with E.coli, blended briefly to separate phage ghosts and infected bacteria, centrifuged, radioactivity only recovered in the phage ghosts and not in the infected bacterial cells
1952 - Hershey & Chase - Used bacteriophage T2 to demonstrate that DNA was the genetic material
-conclusions
-the genetic material injected into the bacteria by the phages must be DNA
Charggaff’s Rules
-the percentage of the genome that is cytosine is equal to the percentage that is guanine
-the percentage of the genome that is thymine is equal to the percentage that is adenine
-bases are always found in the same ratio such that
C=G and A=T
Franklin & Wilkes - X-ray Diffraction
- provided evidence that DNA was a double helix
- X ray beam directed at DNA sample, diffracted, projected onto screen
- X pattern characteristic of a helix
- height of the x corresponds to the 0.34nm gap between each base pair
Structure of DNA
- antiparallel double helix
- hydrogen bonding between bases
- sugar phosphate back bone
- molecule has polarity
- alternate minor and major grooves in the helix
What does the structure of DNA explain about its function?
- it can be replicated with high fidelity due to the complimentary base pairing
- base pairing also explains why DNA obeys Chargaff’s rules
- the linear base sequence provides means by which genetic information can be encoded
Hydrogen Bonds Between Bases
G-C -> 3 hydrogen bonds
A-T -> 2 hydrogen bonds
-this means that a higher temperature would be required to break a molecule with only G-C base pairs than one with only A-T base pairs
How do proteins access the base sequence of DNA?
the DNA sequence is accessible to the proteins that regulate gene expression via the MAJOR groove of the double helix