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BIO 106 Lecture 5 CHEMICAL BASIS OF HEREDITY

Chemical
Composition
of the
Chromosome

DNA as the genetic material

Chemical Composition of the DNA


Take note of the differences between purines(a colorless crystalline organic base containing nitrogen; the
parent compound of various biologically important substances) and pyrimidines(a heterocyclic organic
compound with a penetrating odor) and between the sugars(an essential structural component of living cells
and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular
substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain), deoxyribose(a
sugar that is a constituent of nucleic acids) and ribose(a pentose sugar important as a component of
ribonucleic acid).
Note how the nucleosides(a glycoside formed by partial hydrolysis of a nucleic acid) differ from the nucleotides
(a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA).

Chemical Composition of the DNA

Nucleotides are joined by PHOSPHODIESTER BONDS.

Chemical Composition of the DNA


Chemical Composition of the DNA

Molecular Structure of DNA


Review the components of the replication machinery.
CONFORMATIONS OF DNA

A-DNA
Eukaryotic DNA polymerases and their functions
Error Correction in DNA Replication

ERRORS;
1. Replication error: addition of a nucleotide with an incorrect base

Error Correction in DNA Replication

ERRORS;
1. Replication error: addition of a nucleotide with an incorrect base
Replication error (strand slippage)

2. DNA damage:
a. Chemical damage can alter DNA structure
b. Damage caused by radiation (example: nicks)
c. Damage due to attack by water (cause removal of an amine group from the base group of a
nucleotide or the loss of the entire base group.
Repair Systems:
1. Excision Repair System
a. Base-pair excision repair
b. Short-patch Excision Repair
2. Mismatch repair
Long-patch and Short-patch Excision Repair
So why is DNA preferred as the genetic material?
1. More stable
2. More easily repaired
3. Its info is better protected
4. Double strands allow double checking.

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