6.1 DNA Structure
The elegant double-helical structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) shook the scientific world when it was proposed in April 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick. The DNA you inherited from your parents contains all your genes—your genetic information.
To Think About:
What is the source of heritable information found in cells? What are the characteristics of DNA and RNA that allow them both to be used as hereditary material? What differences exist between the heritable information found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Watch: AP Daily Video DNA and RNA Structure
Answer the Following Questions:
- How is genetic information stored in living organisms?
- Genetic information is passed from parent to daughter cells by __________ which is packaged into __________________.
- What molecule can some viruses use to encode genetic information?
- Describe three similarities between DNA and RNA.
- What are the base pairing rules for DNA? How are the base pairing rules for RNA different?
- What is the major structural difference between purines and pyrimidines?
- How are prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes different? (Give at least three differences)
Supplementary Resources:
- Bozeman Science: Mr. Andersen’s “What is DNA?”
DNA From the Beginning: Molecules of Genetics
Nobelprize.org: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962—Watson, Crick and Wilkins
