DNA, Genes, and Genomes

What are the structures, how do we copy them, and how are
they arranged?
What can we learn from comparison of genomes?

Whats the difference between

DNA and RNA?

Same basic components: base, sugar, phosphate.

DNA is double stranded, RNA single stranded.
Purines: adenine & guanine
Pyrimidines: cytosine, thymine, and uracil.
[Purines] in DNA is equal to [Pyrimidines]

Although linear sequence of nucleotides appears

quite similar, 3-D conformations quite different.

RNA
DNA

Native DNA is a double helix

with complementary
antiparallel strands.

Movie
Jim Watson

youtube copy

Structural representation of DNA molecule

Nucleic acid strands are polar, i.e, they have directionality.

AnimationofDNAreplication
http://www.dnai.org/a/index.html.Code
CopyingthecodePuttingittogether
DNAsynthesisanimation

backup copy

Attendanceexercise
Baseduponwhatyouhavelearnedabout
thestructureofDNA,canyousuggesta
generalmechanismforconvertingone
doublestrandedcopyofDNAintotwo
identicaldoublestrandedcopiesofthe
DNA?
46sentencespostedtoBulletingBoard.

DNA is flexible about its long axis. It can be bent.

DNA packing is essential.

Job of histones.
Chromatin: compaction.

TATA-box Binding Protein.

Transcription factor.

The Challenge of Packing

Movie
DNA Packaging
Fig. 11-3

What Are Genes?

Unit of heredity, either RNA (for
some viruses) or DNA
Controlling elements sometimes
included in definition
May be surrounded by sequences
of unknown function
Found in all cells, in the nuclei of
eukaryotic cells, and in
mitochondria and chloroplasts of
eukaryotes.

Protein-coding genes may be solitary or belong to

a gene family.

Gene for rubisco,

the most abundant
protein on earth.
Other examples are protein kinases, immunoglobulins, olfactory receptors (hundreds of family
members) cytoskeletal proteins (actin, tubulin), molecular motors (Kinesin, myosin, dynein
superfamilies)

Heavily used gene products are encoded by

multiple copies of the gene.

Ribosomal Gene Clusters

From Developmental Biology by Scott Gilbert, Chap 19

Howaregenesorganizedona
chromosome?
http://www.dnai.org/c/index.html.Choose
flyoverandlookatall4animations(1,2,
3,4)ofaportionofchromosome11

Exonandintrons

WORD VERSION OF EXONS AND INTRONS

THEFOXVGLOHDSRANTOOIWSCHGTELLFAR

Surprises

Watson

Gilbert

Venter, Collins

The Rise of Genomics:

Genome-wide Analysis of Gene Structure & Expression.

2 NOVA Movies - Human Genome Project

(on the bottom part of the video pop-up, mouse over the slider and
select episodes 4 and episode 5)

Robert Krulwich narrator

Movie 1 Movie 2
Eric Lander
J Craig Venter
Francis Collins

Automated DNA sequencer

Backup Links: 1, 2

Youtube Links: Movie 1 Movie 2

Automated DNA sequencing- the details

http://www.dnai.org/b/index.html.
From the web site follow
the boxes: Techniques,
Manipulation, sorting and
sequencing, cycle
sequencing animation.
Run the animation.

Complexity
The number of
base pairs in the
human genome is
3.2 x 109

There are about 3

million words in the
Bible. It would take a
stack of 1000 Bibles to
make as many words
as there are base
pairs in the human
genome.