DNA the molecule Flashcards
What does DNA stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
What is DNA?
DNA is a double-helix structure responsible for determining the characteristics for every living thing.
What are the organisms that makeup DNA called?
Nucleotides: phosphate, deoxyribose sugars and bases
What are the bases and what is their complementary?
Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine.
Complementary:
AT and GC
What are chromosomes?
Chromosomes are long, thin, thread-like structures found in the nuclei of all cells in the nucleus, they contain the genetic information.
How many chromosomes does a healthy body contain and what type of chromosomes are they?
46 chromosomes, 22 pairs.
There are 2 types of sex chromosomes, X and Y.
There are 44 types of autosomes.
What type of chromosomes do females have compared to males?
Females have ‘XX’ whereas males have ‘XY’
What are genes and what do they do?
genes are sections of DNA arranged along the chromosomes
they contain the instructions for a specific protein designed to create the structures and person the actions needed for your cells to survive, grow and function
What are gametes?
the gametes are the eggs or sperm in a male and female
What are homologous chromosomes?
chromosomes with genes for particular
characteristics at the same location
What is the centromere?
is the point on a chromosome where the
two chromatids are joined together.
