Name Date Period

DNA & Replication Worksheet

1. Write out the complete name for DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid N base
phosphate
2. A nucleotide is made of three parts: a phosphate group, a five carbon sugar and a
nitrogen containing base Label these three parts on the diagram to the right:

3. In a single strand of DNA, the phosphate group binds to the sugar of the next group.
sugar
4. The 5' end of a single DNA strand contains a free phosphate, while the 3' end
contains a free OH.

5. DNA was not thought to be the genetic blueprint originally; instead many scientists hypothesized that
protein contained the genetic code and blueprint of life. (They were later proven wrong.)

6. Purines have two rings, and pyrimidines have one ring.

7. Chargaff's rule states that the DNA of any species contains equal amounts of adenine & thymine and
also equal amounts of guanine & cytosine.

8. Wilkinsand Franklin studied the structure of DNA using x-ray crystallography and determined that
the shape of the molecule was a helix.

9. James Watson and Francis Crick amended Franklin and Wilkin's conclusions and determined that the shape of
the molecule was instead a double helix.

10. Name the scientist(s) responsible for each of the following discoveries.
Griffith Bacterial transformation
Chargraff The base-pair rule
Hershey & Chase DNA was the hereditary material of viruses
Franklin (& Wilkins) The shape of DNA was a helix
Watson & Crick The shape of DNA was a double helix

11. In DNA, thymine is complementary to adenine ; cytosine is complementary to guanine.

12. In a strand of DNA, the percentage of thymine is 30%. What is the percentage of cytosine in the same DNA
strand? 20%
13. The figure below shows DNA replicating. In the space provided, describe what is occurring.

DNA unwinds Daughter strands are The DNA of the daughter

Helicase splits apart formed using strands winds together with
helix complementary base its parent strand
pairing
DNA polymerase adds
DNA nucleotides

14. Number the steps of DNA replication in the correct order (1, 2, 3)
2 Daughter strands are formed using complementary base pairing.
1 DNA unwinds
3 The DNA of the daughter strands winds with together with its parent strand.

15. Why is DNA replication called "semi-conservative"? ½ is old, ½ is new

sugar
16. What enzyme unwinds or unzips the parent strand? helicase
phosphate
17. What enzyme binds fragments of DNA on the lagging strand? ligase
3’
18. DNA polymerase builds the DNA daughter strand in the 5’ to 5’
3’ direction.
T
19. On the diagram:
Label the 3' and 5' ends.
Circle a nucleotide. A
Label the sugar and phosphate.
Label the bases that are not already labeled
C

20. The two sides of the DNA helix are held together by
G
hydrogen bonds- between nitrogen bases
(covalent bonds – between the sugars and
phosphates in the backbone) A T

21. In your own words, explain why the discovery that DNA was the
molecule of heredity was an important discovery. C G

5’
3’