DNA Model

Introduction: (Initial Observation)

Making a model is the best way of learning
about the elements of a DNA molecule. You
can use your model as a separate school
project or as an addition to any DNA related
science project.
A well made model enhances your display
and results a higher level of attention to
your presentation.
This is a display or model making project
related to biology and genetics.

Information Gathering:
Find out about DNA. Read books, magazines or ask professionals who might know in order to learn about the
double Helix structure of DNA molecules. Keep track of where you got your information from.

Following are samples of information you may find:

With over 100,000 different proteins to manufacture, how the heck does our
body get it right? When one thinks of the amount of information the body needs
to keep track of, - eye, hair and skin color, protein sequence, toenail size, etc. - it
would seem a task for a supercomputer to record all of the necessary
information. In essence it is. But not a supercomputer made of silicon wafers
and TV screens, rather one made of an intricate biomolecule called DNA.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is in the family of molecules referred to as
nucleic acids. One strand of DNA has a backbone consisting of a polymer of the
simple sugar deoxyribose bonded to something called a phosphate unit. Very
unimpressively then, the backbone of a strand of DNA resembles this:
sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate-sugarphosphate-...
In our model we use a white ball to represent sugar and a red ball to represent
phosphate.
What is impressive about DNA is that each sugar molecule in the strand also
binds to one of four different nucleotide bases. These bases: Adenine (A),
Guanine (G), Cytosine (C) and Thymine (T), are the beginnings of what we will

soon see is a molecular alphabet. Each sugar molecule in the DNA strand will
bind to one nucleotide base. Thus, as our description of DNA unfolds, we see
that a single strand of the molecule looks more like this:
C
T
G
A
...
sugar phosphate sugar phosphate sugar phosphate sugar phosphate
...
In our model we use light blue balls for Cytosine, light green balls for Guanine,
yellow balls for Adenine and Orange balls for Thymine.
Each strand of DNA contains millions or even billions (in the case of human DNA)
of nucleotide bases. These bases are arranged in a specific order according to
our genetic ancestry. The order of these base units makes up the code for
specific characteristics in the body, such as eye color or nose-hair length. Just as
we use 26 letters in various sequences to code for the words you are now
reading, our body's DNA uses 4 letters (the 4 nucleotide bases) to code for
millions of different characteristics.
Each molecule of DNA is actually made up of 2 strands of DNA cross-linked
together. Each nucleotide base in the DNA strand will cross-link (via hydrogen
bonds) with a nucleotide base in a second strand of DNA forming a structure that
resembles a ladder. These bases cross-link in a very specific order: A will
only link with T (and vice-versa), and C will only link with G (and viceversa). Thus our picture of DNA now looks like this:
sugar
G
|
C
sugar
-

phosphate sugar phosphate

A
|
T
phosphate sugar phosphate
-

sugar
C
|
G
sugar
-

phosphate sugar phosphate

T
|
A
phosphate sugar phosphate
-

...
...
|
...
...

Question/ Purpose:
What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. Use your observations
and questions to write the statement.

The purpose of this project is to make a model of Double Helix DNA molecule. This
model may be used for demonstration or teaching about DNA.

Identify Variables:
When you think you know what variables may be involved, think about ways to change one at a time. If you
change more than one at a time, you will not know what variable is causing your observation. Sometimes
variables are linked and work together to cause something. At first, try to choose variables that you think act
independently of each other.

This is not an experimental project, so you will not define variables.

Hypothesis:

Based on your gathered information, make an educated guess about what types of things affect the system
you are working with. Identifying variables is necessary before you can make a hypothesis.

This is not an experimental project, so you will not suggest a hypothesis.

Experiment Design:
Design an experiment to test each hypothesis. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer each
question. This list is called an experimental procedure. For an experiment to give answers you can trust, it
must have a "control." A control is an additional experimental trial or run. It is a separate experiment, done
exactly like the others. The only difference is that no experimental variables are changed. A control is a
neutral "reference point" for comparison that allows you to see what changing a variable does by comparing it
to not changing anything. Dependable controls are sometimes very hard to develop. They can be the hardest
part of a project. Without a control you cannot be sure that changing the variable causes your observations. A
series of experiments that includes a control is called a "controlled experiment."

How to make the model?

Paint all the balls with water based or latex color. Following are the colors that we
used in our model.

Yellow is for Adenine

(A)

Green is for Guanine

(G)

Blue is for Cytosine (C)

Orange is for Thymine

(T)

White is for Sugar

Red is for Phosphate

Use toothpicks to make pairs

of Adenine Thymine with
sugars on the ends.
Also make pairs of Cytosine
Guanine with sugars on the
ends.

These pairs form the steps of the ladder in a DNA molecule.

The number of different color balls in our model is as follows:

Molecule

Color of ball

Quantity

Sugar

White

32

Phosphate

Red

30

Adenine

Yellow

Thymine

orange

Cytosine

Blue

Guanine

Green

Connect the wood dowels together using wood

glue to make a longer wood dowel. It may take a
few hours for glue to dry.
Insert the long wood dowel into the base.
Place the first pair on the base and use a wire or
string to tie it to the wood dowel.

Insert toothpicks in red balls (phosphates) so that the ball

will be centered on the tooth pick. Insert one red ball over
each white ball (sugar) and adjust the angles so your DNA
model will become double helix.

Mount the second pair over the previous one.

Toothpicks from phosphates will enter the sugars of
the new pair.
Continue with another set of phosphates and new
pairs on top of each other. After a few rows, use
another wire or string to tie the last pair to the column
(wood dowel).
Continue that until your DNA model is ready.

If you want to separate your DNA model from the base, you will need to use a
small amount of wood glue on the ends of toothpicks. If you do this, you can later