• Inside the nucleus of almost all the cells in our body contain chomosomes

• Chromosomes are made of DNA - our genetic information• DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid

INTRODUCTION TO DNA

DNA unique to each

individual

How is DNA similar to a cookbook of family recipes?

The History of DNA

Watson and Crick

Rosalind Franklin

DNA double helix

Take a Journey into DNA on PBS NOVA

Which scientists discovered the 3D structure of DNA?

The Structure of DNA

• Rosalind Franklin was using X-ray diffraction to study DNA– She discovered that DNA is helical

and has a repeating pattern – like a spiral staircase

• Her work allowed Watson and Crick to come up with a model of DNA– Findings presented in 1953– Visually confirmed in 1969

DNA is made up of may nucleotide monomers

DNA looks like a spiral staircase = DOUBLE HELIX

STRUCTURE: ___________________

BACKBONE: ____________________

RUNGS: ________________________

Adenine ---- _______________ Guanine –-- _______________

Bases held together by hydrogen bonds

What do you get when you combine one sugar, one phosphate and one nitrogen base? __________________

Phosphate

Deoxyribose (sugar)

Nitrogen Base

Hydrogen bond

Nucleotide

2 complementary strands (2 sides)

Alternating deoxyribose sugar and phosphate

2 nitrogen bases

ThymineCytosine

nucleotide

This diagram has 12 nucleotides

DNA Double Helix Like a twisted ladder, DNA is made up of nucleotides

• Nitrogen bases are like instructions in a recipe. • Different instructions (nitrogen bases) = different

products

If one strand of DNA has the following nucleotide bases, what complementary bases would the other strand have?

If I had a million base pairs?

Page 13 of the data booklet

Why do we have DNA? DNA has 2 functions:

To pass on information to offspring Production of proteins

Gene = small sections of a chromosome (DNA) that carries instructions for a specific protein

Genes and DNA

Each gene is like a recipe in our cookbook – providing us instructions of what to make in the sequence of nitrogen bases!

When we need to make a specific protein, we go to a specific gene

Types of proteins

Structural Gives shape and structure to cells Ex. Keratin (nails), muscles, collagen (skin)

DefenseProtect the body against diseaseEx. antibodies

HormoneChemical messengers to maintain homeostasisEx. Insulin, testosterone

TransportMove materials in and out of cells and the body Ex. Hemoglobin

EnergyAct as a source of chemical potential energy that can be broken downEx. Casein in milk

EnzymesSpeeds up the rate of chemical reactionsEx. Lactase, trypsin

Composition of Proteins• Remember, each gene codes for

one protein• Proteins are made up of amino

acids linked together in a chain– There are 20 different amino acids to

choose from like the 26 letters of the alphabet

• Different proteins are made of different amino acids

Each amino acid is coded for by 3 nitrogen bases on a DNA molecule called a triplet

How do we know what amino acid to use?

Try this: DNA sequence: TAC CCG GCA TCG ATA GCA ATC

Amino acid chain produced:

There are many codes for 1 amino acid incase of mutations

tyrosine – proline – alanine – serine – isoleucine – alanine - isoleucine

1 C G C DNA strand 1

2 C A C A G G DNA strand 2(complementary

strand)

3 Histidineamino acids

Can you go back and forth? Given an amino acid, you should be able to determine the nucleotide sequence on the DNA

There is a triplet that acts like capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, marking where the gene begins to read.

There are also 3 DNA triplets that act like periods of a sentence, marking where the gene finishes reading.

Complete the following table:

Isoleucine – lysine – arginine – leucine – proline

TGG – TTT ( or TTC) – TAT ( or TAC)

To figure out the amino acid chain produced, ALWAYS USE THE STAND THAT IS GIVEN. You do not need to find the

complementary strand first.

The best way to solve these types of questions is to start with what you know best, then do all 3 choices to make sure you

didn’t make a mistake!

Answers: 159, 248 and 367

DNA Song

Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering/Transgenics

What is genetic engineering?

Modification of genetic material where scientists isolate genes from one organism and insert it into the DNA of another organism using a virus

These mice are glowing because some of the genes they possess

have been altered to produce a unique protein with the ability to

glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. Jellyfish produce a protein

that enables them to glow in certain light, and scientists have

isolated this jellyfish gene and then used a modified virus to insert it

into the DNA of a mouse embryo. When the mouse embryo

develops, each cell has the instructions to make the luminescent

jellyfish protein to create a mouse with the ability to glow.

Jellyfish picture taken from Ocean Park in Hong Kong

A single jellyfish can release as much as 45,000 eggs each day!

Jellyfish have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Be it male jellyfish or female jellyfish, both are capable of developing sperms in their stomach, inside a special pouch.

Their eggs pass through their stomach and come out of the mouth. Only the eggs that stick to female jellyfish’s mouth get fertilized.

Animal Pharm (15:00 – 19:25)

Genetic engineering is just a modification of traditional selective breeding

Carrots use to be white, but were selectively bred to be orange by the Danish

Grapefruits and oranges are all clones of one mutant original.

Potatoes were originally

poisonous

Jimmy Kimmel asks “What are GMO’s?”

Glow in the dark cats?

Supersized bunnies?

Featherless chickens? Super clingy hands?

Applications of genetic engineering1. Agriculture - crops

Golden Rice – more nutritious (vitamin A and iron)

Roundup Ready Canola – herbicide resistant

Flavr Savr Tomatoes – longer shelf life

Did you watch Food Inc.?

“Industry mixing and matching of breeds and genetics produces chickens that meet consumer demands, such as large breasts. Chickens which grow at such a rapid weight that they reach slaughter within six to seven weeks enable the companies to produce pounds of meat quickly. Watching these chickens grow to the point that they couldn’t take more than a few steps and then plop down in exhaustion or had bad legs because their bones couldn’t support the weight was normal. Many would flip over and die from heart attacks.”

2. Agriculture – animals Applications of genetic engineering

Cattle – leaner animals

Cattle – increased milk production

Supersalmon – grow and mature faster

The above is a Belgian Blue Cattle (not actually genetically modified, but due to selective breeding),

and the gene that produces such rapid muscle growth is being tested and used to treat muscular dystrophy.

Animal Pharm (19:30 – 23:45)

3. Medicine

Applications of genetic engineering

Human hormones – insulin from bacteria

Human organ – making organs more compatible for transplant (called xenotransplantation)

Making Insulin

Through Transgenics

• Used to treat and possibly cure genetic diseases • e.g. Cystic

fibrosis, hemophilia

Applications of genetic engineering

4. Gene Therapy

• A vector, such as a virus to insert a functional copy of a gene into the cell of a patient with a defective gene

• Result: the patient can now produce the missing or defective protein

What is this cartoon saying?

14 year old debates GMO’s with Kevin

O’Leary

What is this cartoon saying?

Evaluating Perspectives on Genetic Engineering

Animal Pharm (up to 1:46)

Cons/Disadvantages Pro’s/Benefits • Can produced disease resistant

plants (lasts longer and more food produced)

• Better tasting and more nutritious food

• Unique and different species

• Prevent species extinction

• Potential cures and new medications

• Replacement organs

• Insulin

• Gene therapy – could this extend our life span

• Leads to superbugs and antibiotic resistant bacteria

• Long term effects on humans and the ecosystem are unknown

• What if this causes more problems than it solves?

• Who gets to choose what is good?

• Experimentation could be inhumane and causes deaths during experimentation

Both?

• Money - Creates jobs but is expensive so who is allowed access to this?

• Ideal organisms – Creates better and smarter organisms but who gets to decide what is better?

The correct answer is A

II and IV represent economic benefits and are not risks