DNA

DNA STRUCTURE
• Two strands coiled called a double helix

• Sides made of a pentose sugar

Deoxyribose bonded to phosphate (PO4)
groups by phosphodiester bonds

• Center made of nitrogen bases bonded

together by weak hydrogen bonds

2
 Chargaff’s Rule
• Adenine must pair with Thymine
• Guanine must pair with Cytosine

The bases form weak hydrogen bonds

T A G C

3
 DNA
Phosphate Nucleotide
Group

5
CH2

O
N
C4 C1 Nitrogenous base
(A, G, C, or T)
Sugar
(deoxyribose)
C3 C2 4
 Pentose Sugar
• Carbons are numbered clockwise 1’ to 5’
5
CH2

C4 C1
Sugar
(deoxyribose)
C3 C2
copyright cmassengale 5
 DNA STRUCTURE
Double Helix “Rungs of ladder”

Nitrogenous
Base (A,T,G or C)

“Legs of ladder”

Phosphate &
Sugar Backbone
 Antiparallel Strands
• One strand of DNA
goes from 5’ to 3’
(sugars)

• The other strand is

opposite in
direction going 3’
to 5’ (sugars)
 Nitrogenous Bases
• Double ring PURINES
Adenine (A)
Guanine (G) A or G

• Single ring PYRIMIDINES

Thymine (T)
Cytosine (C) T or C

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 Base-Pairings
• Purines only pair with
Pyrimidines
• Three hydrogen bonds
required to bond Guanine &
Cytosine
3 H-bonds

G C

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 Base-Pairings
•Two hydrogen bonds are required to
bond Adenine & Thymine

T A

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 5 O DNA 3

3 O
P 5 P
5 O
1 G C 3
2
4 4
2 1
3 5
O
P P
5
T A 3
O

O
5
P 3 P
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 DNA
Replication

12
 Replication Facts
• DNA has to be copied before a
cell divides
• DNA is copied during the S or
synthesis phase of interphase
• New cells will need identical DNA
strands

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Synthesis Phase (S phase)
• S phase during interphase of the
cell cycle
• Nucleus of eukaryotes
S
DNA replication takes phase
place in the S phase.
G1 interphase G2

Mitosis
-prophase
-metaphase
-anaphase
-telophase
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 DNA REPLICATION
• Semiconservative replication would produce two copies
that each contained one of the original strands and one
new strand.
• Conservative replication would leave the two original
template DNA strands together in a double helix and would
produce a copy composed of two new strands containing
all of the new DNA base pairs.
• Dispersive replication would produce two copies of
the DNA, both containing distinct regions of DNA
composed of either both original strands or both new
strands.
 Semiconservative Model of
Replication
• Idea presented by Watson & Crick
• The two strands of the parental
molecule separate, and each acts as a
template for a new complementary
strand
• New DNA consists of 1 PARENTAL (original)
and 1 NEW strand of DNA

DNA Template

Parental DNA
New DNA

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 Replication of Strands
Replication Point of Origin
Fork

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 DNA Replication
• Origins of replication
1. Replication Forks: hundreds of Y-shaped
regions of replicating DNA molecules
where new strands are growing.
3’

5’ Parental DNA Molecule Replication

Fork
3’

5’
 DNA Replication

• Origins of replication
2. Replication Bubbles:
a. Hundreds of replicating bubbles
(Eukaryotes).
b. Single replication fork (bacteria).
DNA Replication
 DNA Replication
• Strand Separation:
1. Helicase: enzyme which catalyze the
unwinding and separation (breaking H-
Bonds) of the parental double helix.

2. Single-Strand Binding Proteins: proteins

which attach and help keep the separated
strands apart.
 DNA Replication
• Strand Separation:
3. Topoisomerase: enzyme which relieves
stress on the DNA molecule by allowing free
rotation around a single strand.
 DNA Replication
• Priming:
1. RNA primers: before new DNA strands can
form, there must be small pre-existing
primers (RNA) present to start the addition of
new nucleotides (DNA Polymerase).

2. Primase: enzyme that polymerizes

(synthesizes) the RNA Primer.
 DNA Replication
• Synthesis of the new DNA Strands:

1. DNA Polymerase: with a RNA primer in

place, DNA Polymerase (enzyme) catalyze
the synthesis of a new DNA strand in the 5’
to 3’ direction.

5’ 3’

RNA
5’
DNA Polymerase Primer
Nucleotide
 DNA Replication
2. Leading Strand: synthesized as a
single polymer in the 5’ to 3’ direction.

5’ 3’

5’
RNA
Nucleotides DNA Polymerase Primer
 DNA Replication
3. Lagging Strand: also synthesized in
the 5’ to 3’ direction, but discontinuously
against overall direction of replication.

Leading Strand
5 3’
’
3’ 5’
DNA Polymerase RNA Primer
5’ 3’

3’ 5’
Lagging Strand
 DNA Replication
4. Okazaki Fragments: series of short
segments on the lagging strand.

DNA
Okazaki Fragment Polymerase
RNA
Primer
5’ 3’

3’ 5’
Lagging Strand
 DNA Replication
5. DNA ligase: a linking enzyme that
catalyzes the formation of a covalent bond
from the 3’ to 5’ end of joining strands.
Example: joining two Okazaki fragments together.

DNA ligase
Okazaki Fragment 1 Okazaki Fragment 2
5’ 3’

3’ Lagging Strand
5’
 DNA Damage &
Repair
• Chemicals & ultraviolet radiation damage the
DNA in our body cells
• Cells must continuously repair DAMAGED
DNA
• Excision repair occurs when any of over 50
repair enzymes remove damaged parts of
DNA
• DNA polymerase and DNA ligase replace and
bond the new nucleotides together
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 Animation
http://highered.mheducation.com/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.c
gi?it=swf::535::535::/sites/dl/free/0072437316/120076/mi
cro04.swf::DNA+Replication+Fork

Workshop
http://www.wiley.com/college/pratt/0471393878/instructor/
animations/dna_replication/index.html