DNA and Proteins

1. DNA and Proteins Presented by Garth Jensen Emerson Middle School A project from AMGEN workshop 2004 In this guide you will be learning about DNA and proteins Click here to see which standards will be addressed in this guide Click here to go to the navigation page

2. 7th Grade Standards to be covered in this guide • 1c The nucleus contains genetic material • 2c Traits are inherited by one or more genes • 2d Plant and animal cells contain thousands of genes • 2e DNA is the genetic material for living things • 3a Genetic variation and environment are causes of evolution and diversity • 3c Evidence for evolution includes geology, fossils, comparative anatomy and genetics • 3d Students construct a simple branching diagram to classify organisms

3. Click on the buttons below to learn about a particular item • What is DNA? • What is transcription? • What is a protein? • What is translation? • What is bioinformatics?

4. DNA DNA is a molecule found in all living organisms. It is made of a chain of smaller units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three parts, a sugar, a base and a phosphate group. Click here to go to a DNA website

5. Transcription Transcription involves a two step process. First a DNA molecule needs to unzip. Then RNA polymerase makes an mRNA molecule. The mRNA molecule then goes to the ribosomes.

6. Proteins Click here to view the twenty amino acids Proteins are used as building blocks for tissues of all living things. Proteins are determined by the DNA sequence of nucleotides. Proteins are made of amino acids. There are twenty amino acids found in all living things. Proteins are made through a process called translation.

7. Translation The process of translation occurs on the ribosomes. Translation is the making of proteins based on mRNA. Amino acids are carried to the ribosomes by tRNA, the ribosomes join the amino acids together to form proteins.

8. Other websites to investigate DNAhttp://www.dnai.org/a/index.htmlClick on Finding the code http://www.dnaftb.org/dnaftb/19/concept/index.html Transcription http://vcell.ndsu.nodak.edu/~christjo/vcell/animationSite/transcription/index.htm http://www.dnai.org/a/index.htmlClick on copying the code

9. More Sites Translation http://vcell.ndsu.nodak.edu/~christjo/vcell/animationSite/translation/index.html http://www.dnai.org/a/index.htmlClick on Reading the code

10. Bioinformatics Bioinformatics is the use of technology to organize the vast amounts of information that have been accumulating over recent years. Developments in molecular biology and gene mapping have made it necessary to develop a system where research can be shared easily. Click here to find out how scientists can use bioinformatics in their genetic research

11. Using the Biology Workbench The biology workbench is a tool that people can use to compare the genetics of different organisms. Many organisms have had many of their genes mapped out. This information has been placed into data bases that are able to be accessed by the public.

12. Continued To get an idea of how this tool is used lets say we want to compare a gene for the following nine animals: rabbit, frog, human, pig, mouse, chicken, turkey, eel, and lungfish. We will be using the troponin c gene which is for skeletal muscle. At this time ask your teacher for the biology workbench worksheet. And click below to get to the Biology workbench web site. Then follow the instructions on the paper. Click here to open the biology workbench worksheet Biology Workbench Web site

13. View a troponin C protein Click here to view a troponin c protein molecule