Ch. 4 a DNA

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What is the full word for DNA?

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

It's a long, threadlike molecule uniform in diameter but comes in varied lengths
DNA and other nucleic acids are polymers of

nucleotides
Each nucleotide in DNA consists of what three compounds?
- One sugar - deoxyribose
- One phosphate group
- One nitrogenous base
The sidepiece backbone of the DNA double helix is composed of which two of the 3 compounds?
- The sugar and phosphate groups
What kind of atomic bond is formed between the two sides of the double helix?

Hydrogen bond
What kind of structure does DNA come in?

Double helix
DNA base pairing:
A-
C-
- A-T
- C-G
- Adenine to Thymine
- Cytosine to Guanine
What are genes? And what is a gene?

Genes are genetic instructions for the making (synthesis) of proteins. Remember how important proteins are for our body.

A gene is a segment of DNA that has the coding for a specific protein
DNA does not exist in the nucleus as a double helix floating around. What does it combine with to form what thread-like structure?
- DNA combines with proteins to form chromatin
When a cell is preparing to divide, what does chromatin do and what does this form?

Chromatin threads coil and condense to form the barlike structure called chromosomes!

This condensed structure helps protect the strands from the movements of cell division