What is the purpose of DNA in a cell?
• DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living things; all known cellular life and some viruses contain DNA.
• The main role of DNA in the cell is the long-term storage of individual information and replication of the cell organism.
Why can’t you see the double helix with the naked eye?
• Double Helix: the structure formed by the double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA
The double helix structure cannot be seen by the naked eye as the width of the DNA Double Helix is approximately one billionth of a meter, while human eyes cannot distinguish objects less than 0.02mm wide. An optical light microscope would
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• The DNA Extraction process ‘breaks down’ the Plasma Membrane surrounding the Cell and the Nucleus containing the Strawberry's DNA. The Plasma Membrane is composed of a phospholipid Bilayer with Proteins embedded within it. Each phospholipid molecule consists of two fatty acid chains joined to a phosphate-containing group. The phosphate-containing group of a phospholipid molecule constitutes its hydrophilic head. The fatty acid chains constitute the hydrophobic tail of each phospholipid molecule.
• This allows the salt Water in the Extraction Buffer to draw the water from the Vacuole through the process of Osmosis, leaving the DNA to combine together.
What possible benefits might be obtained by the ability to isolate the DNA of any
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- The DNA in an Animal cell would appear in larger quantities when compared to Plant Cells, the complexity of the Animal cell would also be greater than that of a Plant cell.
- The cells of all animals and plants contain DNA in a Double Helix form, produced using the same four chemical nucleotides.
- The plant cell has a rigid Cell Wall and a large Vacuole in comparison to the Animal Cell which has a relatively small Vacuole and is WITHOUT a Cell Wall. The passive diffusion process of Osmosis when regarding the Extraction Buffer and the Salt to Water concentration, would be smaller in the Animal cell due to the lack of a large Vacuole (amount of water); therefore the Water-Alcohol interface would become smaller resulting from the lack of water.
- The Animal cell would also be without a Cell Wall, allowing the DNA to be released more efficiently and in greater quantities when regarding their complexity.
Which ‘ingredient’ do you think might have the most effect on the amount of DNA you extract – How can you test your hypothesis? Briefly describe an experiment to test your
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule found in all forms of life that is passed down from parents to offspring. What makes each DNA unique is the chemical makeup of the molecule sometimes referred to as the “blueprint of life.” (BIO). DNA is made up of nucleotides consisting of a sugar, a phosphate and a base pair. About six million nucleotide base pairs make up DNA in each cell.
The tonicity of solution relative to eggs in water and the 0.5M glucose were hypotonic, because each egg increased in mass over 60 minutes. The tonicity of the eggs in 1.5M glucose and 2.0M glucose were hypertonic because each egg decreased in mass over 60 minutes. The water moved towards the hypertonic solution through the membrane of the egg in the water and 0.5M glucose solutions, causing the egg to increase in mass. The water moved out of the hypotonic membrane in a hypertonic 1.5M and 2.0M glucose solutions, which caused the egg to decrease in mass. Relevance
Lesly Rodriguez Biology January 23, 2018 DNA is a long skinny molecule made up of nucleotides; the nucleotides consists of adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. DNA also carries genetic information in cells and some viruses which forms two long lines of nucleotides twisted like a zipper known as the double helix. DNA can be extracted and kept in a database from having samples such as hair, saliva, fingertips, etc; the purpose of keeping it in a database is in order to secure vital information of an individual’s privacy and use it for an important event. The city of Chicago should make it mandatory for individuals and newborn babies to submit their DNA into a database. I foresee this due to solving crime efficiently, knowing circumstances that are from relatives, and the scientific method cures for the circumstances.
Additionally, it was difficult obtaining a piece of rhubarb that was thin and particularly red, therefore the effect could not be best observed in the cells. Part B: Design your own experiment Parts of this practical were taken and slightly altered from the following link http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/science/investigate-the-effect-of-surface-area-on-osmosis-in-potato-tissue.html Aim: To observe the effect different surface area: volume ratios have on osmosis in potato tissue. Hypothesis: If the potato has a larger surface area: volume ratio, the quicker osmosis will take place and the larger the mass will be at the end of the experiment, therefore the difference in mass of the potatoes from the start of the experiment to the end of the experiment will be larger. Additionally, the potato pieces left in a saltwater solution will decrease in mass, whereas the pieces left in water will increase in mass.
DNA possesses the code for genetic information but does not undertake that data on its own, which is why we bring it into being by the activity of transcription; a messenger identified as mRNA. Once the mRNA is brought into existence, the following step is to move the mRNA out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm then evoke ribosomes that contain a similar letter coding. The initial step of replicating DNA is through the establishment of mRNA. The DNA helicase connects to the DNA molecule opening the double helix which then lets enzymes fracture the hydrogen bonds in the middle of the base pairs. Nucleotides making their way into the nucleus arrange hydrogen bonds in relation to their sets (cytosine to guanine and thymine to adenine.)
We then obsevered the two slides for number of cells as well as for food vacuoles inside a cell using a microscope at times of 0,5,10,20, and 30 minutes. Results The following graphs show the results of this experiment. The tetrahymena sample that was introduced to concentrated tobacco had a lower cell/vacuole ratio than the tetrahymena sample that was not exposed to
DNA is revolutionary in what we know about our body and its cells. Years of advancement on DNA was taken place, and it branched out further and is even able to be used in our modern society. Today, DNA is used for a wide variety of tasks that helped develop knowledge and research. Keywords: DNA, Rosalind Franklin, Francis Crick, James Watson, advancement, revolutionary, modern DNA’s Backstory: The Nucleic Acid Located in Every Human Cell DNA, indubitably, is important to understand as it is essentially what makes us who
Then, the cell contents and DNA are released to the outside of the cell. The lysis buffer added causes the double stranded DNA in the cell to become single stranded DNA by disrupting the hydrogen bond between the bases. Next, acid is added to neutralize back the DNA to form double stranded DNA again. After centrifuge, the supernatant is collected as that is the plasmid while the pellet is the debris including protein and lipids. Protein and lipids are basically heavier than plasmid
The results can be used to understand more practical applications, like human cells for example. the experiment is ineffective way of observing the effect of alcohol on cell membranes and is a good education tool. The study is
DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information. RNA is ribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information. DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose, while RNA contains the sugar ribose.
DNA in Forensic Science DNA is the carrier of genetic information in humans and other living organisms. It has become a very useful tool in forensic science since it was discovered. In forensic science, DNA testing is used to compare the genetic structure of two individuals to establish whether there is a genetic relationship between them. One example of the use of DNA in forensic science that is important in biology today is comparing a suspect’s DNA profile to DNA that was discovered at a crime scene.
In the lab that was conducted, cell structures and functions were observed. Most cells have a nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, mitochondria and other organelles. Another important organelle is the nucleus. This is where the DNA is held and it contains the hereditary material of the cell and it controls the cells activities (1). Cell membranes are selectively permeable, which means that the cell can decide what can pass through and what can’t, and are made of phospholipids and proteins.
Eukaryotic cells have existed for 1.5 billion years. They are considered to be younger than prokaryotic cells. They have a nucleus, linear DNA contained inside nucleus, and organelles that are both non-membrane bound and membrane bound. There are two major groups of eukaryotic cells: animal cells and plant cells. Animal cells have linear DNA, lysosome, mitochondria, nucleus, golgi apparatus, nucleolus, vacuole, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and rough endoplasmic reticulum.
DNA in forensic science The majority of cells making up the human body are diploid cells carrying identical DNA, with the exception of haploid gametes and red blood cells. Several types of biological evidence such as blood and hair are commonly used in forensic science, which is the scientific study of evidence for crime scene investigations and other legal matters. Forensic science is used for the purpose of DNA analysis, this is the analysis of DNA samples to determine if it came from a particular individual. DNA analysis is done by obtaining DNA samples from an individual; next, a large sample of DNA is produced from amplified selected sequences from the DNA collected.
1.3.3 Methods of the measurement of DNase activity In 1950, the first method of the measurement of DNase I activity was described by Kunitz196. He isolated and precipitated DNase from fresh beef pancreas and isolated thymus nucleic acid. He found that the cleavage of DNA by crystalline DNase is accompanied by increase of absorption (at 260 nm) of UV light. This spectrophotometric method of measurement of the rate of the increase in the light absorption was then used for estimating of DNase activity. It lasted 43 years until in 1993 Nadano et al.