How does DNA encode your characteristics?

1
How does DNA encode your characteristics?
2
Your characteristics are determined by proteins.

• How? Lets look at a simple example
• Jonnys hair is blond why?
• Hair color is determined by pigments, which are
  fats and are created in a chemical reaction in
  the cells of skin and other hair follicles.
  Enzymes in those cells tell how much of the
  pigment will be produced. Jonnys cells produce
  less of the enzyme, which means less pigment is
  produced and his hair stays light in color.

3
Enzymes are Proteins

• Which are long folded chains of amino acids.
• Other things proteins do that effect your
  characteristics are
• Transporters of things like oxygen
• Membrane Channels which let things in and out of
  cells (all of your senses and thoughts are
  nothing more than many cells receiving specific
  chemical signals)

4
So where does DNA fit in?

• Genes
• Sections of chromosome (DNA) that have
  information for a building PROTEIN.

5
Proteins are built at the ribosomes

• But the information for building them is in the
  NUCLEUS.
• The cell has 2 molecules that helps bring the
  information and the amino acids to the ribosome
• Messenger RNA
• Transfer RNA

6
What is RNA? (Ribonucleic acid)

• How is it different from DNA?
• Single stranded
• Contains the sugar ribose instead of deoxyribose.
• Uses Uracil instead of Thymine

7
What do the two RNAs do?
8
Overview of protein synthesis

• Genes in DNA are copied by messenger RNA ? called
  TRANSCRIPTION
• Messenger RNA is read at the RIBOSOME by transfer
  RNA that carries AMINO ACIDS to be assembled into
  a protein ? called TRANSLATION