HISTORY OF DNA

History

The Origin of Species

Published in 1859

Natural Selection

Living creatures evolve

over several generations
through a series of small
changes
History: 1860s
Experimental
Question/Interest:
How are traits inherited
in plants?
Experiment:
sed pea plant! cross
breed them and
observe the succeeding
generations
Discoery:
"actors determine
characteristics in living
things
#hese are passed from
one generation to the
ne$t
18%%&188'
(regor )endel
"ather of )odern (enetics
New question: What is the material that
confers these characteristics?
The !o"rney to fin# the $enetic %aterial
Friedrich Miescher
Swiss physician
1844-1895
Experimental &"estion'(nterest:
*hat material confers traits+inheritance?
Experiment:
Isolated chemical found in nucleus
Discoery:
"ound proteins and nucleic acids
Discovery of a Transforming Principle (192!

1879 1941
Bacteriologist
Experimental &"estion'(nterest:
Patholog, and epidemiolog, of strep- pneumoniae
Experiment:
sed two strains of streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria strains to infect
mouse
S bacteria smooth coat pneumonia
R bacteria rough coat - no pneumonia
Discoery:
.oat t,pe is associate with virulence
Strep pneumoniae bacteria could transform one strain into a different
strain b, a /transforming factor0
Bacterial
colonies
Rough
nonvirulent
(strain R)
Injection
Results
Mouse health
S!ooth
virulent
(strain S)
Mouse "ies
Heat#$ille"
s!ooth
virulent
(strain S)
%ive strain S &acteria
in &loo" sa!'le
(ro! "ea" !ouse
Mouse "ies Mouse health
+
Rough
nonvirulent
(strain R)
Heat#$ille"
s!ooth
virulent
(strain S)
"den#ifying #he Transforming Principle$ %riffi#h&s '(perimen#
The )nans*ere" +uestion,

The extracts of
heat-kille S
bacteria cells
containe
protein! R"# an
$"#

)hich of these s"*stances

+ere essential for
transformation,

Os*al" Aver %18&&-
1955'
1)olecular 2iologist and
3mmunologist4
Experimental &"estion'(nterest:
3dentif, the nature of 3nheritance& the
transforming factor
.ontinued (riffith5s *or6
Experiment:
7emoved the different genetic components
1proteases! deo$,ribonucleases4 to identif, the
transforming factor
Discoery:
Sho(e that $"# is the unit of )nheritance
The Transforming Factor
&
*hat 3s the
#ransforming )aterial?
8 9ver, found that cell e$tracts treated with
protein&digesting en:,mes could still
transform bacteria
8 .ell e$tracts treated with ;N9&digesting
en:,mes lost their transforming abilit,
8 .oncluded that ;N9! not protein!
transforms bacteria
1*++s 18++s Supporting
,-ience++s

#lfre .ershe/ an
0artha 1hase 1952

Experimental &"estion'(nterest:
3hat infects
bacteriophage4 protein or
$"#5
Experiment:
6se bacteriophage %a
-irus' to pro-e that $"#
(as the hereitar/
material
Nucleic acid
contained within a
protective shell of
protein units

Discoery:
Sho(e that $"# is the
unit of )nheritance

;N9 necessar, to produce more

virus
19%9&199%

<rwin .hargaff = 9ustrian 9merican

biochemist

1195>4 ;iscovered the base&

pairing regularities or
?complementarit, relationships?
of nucleic acids that provided one
of the 6e, steps in developing a
structural model for ;N9-
1@>>s 18>>s 185>s 19>>s 195>s %>>>s

Aames *atson

"rancis .ric6

7osalind "ran6lin

)aurice *il6ins
1@>>s 18>>s 1The Scientists: )ho Discoere# D-.,
%>>>s
The Scientists
!ames )atson

9merican

born in 19%8
%' at discover,

/rancis 0ric1
2orn in 191@

London niversit,
Ph,sicist

.hanged the direction of his

research to molecular biolog,
The Scientists: "ran6lin and *il6ins
Showed that DNA
is a double helix
Showed that the
bases are on the
inside
1920-1958
British
Died of Ovarian
ancer
Bioph!sicist and "-
ra!
r!stallographer
191#-2004
British
$h!sicist and
%olec&lar Biologist
$
"
#
$"#

"ucleoties4

a subunit that
consists of4
a sugar
eox/ribose' a
phosphate
one nitrogen
base 4
i7erent bases
#enine %#' an
Th/mine %T'
8uanine %8'
an 1/tosine %1'
96,ST):"S5