DNA Modeling Lab Basic

What is DNA?

Hypothesis:

DNA has a very specific structure that allows it to coil, divide, copy itself, etc. to be inside every cell in your body. Can you imagine DNA at all? Does it look like a giant fluffy bunny? In this lab you will create a model so you can form an idea of what DNA looks like, where it is found, and how big (or small) it actually is.

Important Concepts:
DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid De = Without oxy = refers to oxygen ribo = refers to the sugar molecule (deoxyribose in DNA ) nucleic = referring that it lies within the nucleus DNA is the genetic material inside your cells; it is the instructions inside the nucleus of every cell that tell your cells how to grow. DNA is made up of many nucleotides. A nucleotide is made up of one phosphate molecule, one sugar molecule, and one base.

QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/esp/2001_gbio/folder_structure/ge/m4/s1/gem4s1_1.htm

DNA has only 4 bases: Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanine. Each base corresponds with only one other base. In DNA, Adenine pairs with Thymine (vice versa), and Cytosine pairs with Guanine (vie versa), so you will never find Adenine with Guanine, or Cytosine with Thymine.

Materials: (group of up to 4)
1) DOTS Candy & Crows (also a product of Tootsie): ** NOTE: Material contains corn syrup! Green = Phosphate Black = Sugar Use CROWS black licorice Yellow = Adenine Pink = Thymine Orange = Cytosine Red = Guanine 2) 20 Toothpicks 3) 1 meter of yarn

Procedure 1. Take 12 green, 12 black, 4 yellow, 4 pink, 2 red, 2 orange (DOTS) and 20 toothpicks

2. Cut all of your toothpicks in half you will use these to bond one candy to another. 3. Set aside 6 green, 6 black, 2 yellow, 2 pink, 1 red, 1 orange (DOTS) you will use those later on. 4. With your colors create 6 nucleotides; each one must have one black, one green, and either a red, yellow, blue, or orange. What three things is a single nucleotide made up of? 5. Your green should be on the outer part of your nucleotide, while the black is in between your base (pink/yellow/red/orange) and green. Check your nucleotides!
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http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/molecular%20biology/dna-structure.html

6.

Make sure your sugar is bonded to only one base. Check your model.

What base does the yellow candy represent? Red? Pink? Orange? 7. Once you have your nucleotides, pick one (any one), and look at its base. Find the nucleotide that has the base that should be paired with the one you chose. With the toothpicks bond the nucleotides, connecting bases (use one toothpick in between each candy).

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Why do you think it is important that bases are paired with only one other base? 8. Choose another nucleotide. Attach this nucleotide to the already paired ones. Nucleotides are bound together through a phosphate. Make sure that the phosphate of the new nucleotide is not touching another phosphate, or sugar touching another sugar, and that the base is towards the center.

9. Continue attaching nucleotides until you have used your six nucleotides to make three (3) correctly bound pairs. DNA

http://picsdigger.com/domain/studentsguide.in

10. Compare your model to the diagram below. Does it look alike? Notice how one strand starts with phosphate but ends in sugar, while the other starts with sugar but ends in phosphate.

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http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/DNA_antiparallel.gif

In this lab you only made 6 nucleotides and three pairs. In real life, do you think DNA in your cells is made up of only 3 nucleotides? How many do you think there are?

1. Take the string of yarn. It should measure 1 meter. This is how long DNA would be in real life if you stretched it out. 2. Now, take the yarn and compact it so that it measures 1 millimeter, do you think you can do it? 3. Now try to make your 1-millimeter yarn 10 times smaller. This is the size of your cells nucleus: 10 microns long. It takes 100 microns to make one millimeter. Try to squish this piece of yarn another 10 times (not possible, right?) DNA is 1 micron big inside the nucleus, which means its another 10 times smaller. Why do you think

DNA is so small?

Part 2 Replication Process

Important Concepts:
The replication process allows a cell to divide in order to create copies of itself for new cells.Although you start off with one cell with DNA, you end up with two.DNA Helicase: An enzyme in DNA that cuts or unzips the DNA strands in preparation of the replication process

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http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8Rm_kFNfDDg/SadUClLoQ7I/AAAAAAAAA98/oWWpjdvvzwc/s400/DNA _unzipping_Efjc_Ewlc.png

Replication Fork: The meeting point between the unwound part and the open part.

http://faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu/faculty/michael.gregory/files/Bio%20100/Bio %20100%20Lectures/DNA/dna.htm

DNA Polymerase: A DNA enzyme in charge of attaching, or completing, the complementary bases of the strand it is completing.

1) 2) 3) 4)

Materials:
DNA Model 1 pair of Scissors Remaining candies: 2 pink, 2 yellow, 1 orange, 1 red Remaining toothpicks

Procedure:
1. Take the Scissors and cut your model right down the middle (separating the bases from each other). Now you have two incomplete strands with splinters at the end of each. What part of the replication process do the scissors represent?

2. Start with the strand that begins with phosphate but ends in sugar and from bottom to top connect the correct base to each splintered end (if you have A on one side, you are attaching T, and make sure you are using the right color candy!) What enzyme are you representing now? 3. What molecules do the green and black candies represent? Now you should have two complete DNA strands, even though you started with only one! Now separate the remaining base pair and complete both strands. How many complete DNA strands do you have now?

Concept Questions:
1) True / False , the purpose of the replication process is to create new cells with DNA. 2) What is DNA made up of? 3) Approximately how big is DNA? 4) Your DNA is different from everyone elses 5) DNA stands for: a. Dumb Newt Association b. Demoniclyrapid nickel Acid c. Deoxyribonucleic Acid d. Deoxygenated ribose in Nucleus Acid 6) Pair these letters with their correct pairing letters: A A C T A A G G T A C A A T C C G C A True / False

PART 3 DNA & RNA

Where is DNA found & how is it used? Hypothesis:
Important Concepts:
There are two types of cells; Prokaryotic cells and Eukaryotic cells. While Eukaryotic cells have a protected nucleus and many organelles (specialized parts of a cell), Prokaryotic cells dont have a nucleus, and have very few organelles. Human cells are Eukaryotic, so they have a cell membrane (that keeps everything inside), cytoplasm (a jelly-like substance inside where the organelles are all spread out), and a nucleus in the center.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lcqHdkGk3cs/Sdt9Oqn-5FI/AAAAAAAAATs/veXMRCgL_94/s400/human-cell.jpg

RNA is a single-stranded molecule that contains the same structure and information as DNA. It is also composed of a sugar (ribose), phosphate, and has 4 types of bases, though instead of having A, T, C, G, it has U in place of T. DNA RNA

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http://1mkturin.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/dna-colored.gif

http://www.biologycorner.com/bio1/DNA.html

RNA moves across the nucleus into the cytoplasm to transport the code from

DNA for the creation of proteins. Proteins are what come together to form our traits, without them there would be something seriously wrong with us.

http://www.biologycorner.com/bio4/notes/gene-expression.php

Materials:
1. 2. 3. 4. DNA model 1 large container Water Source 1 sandwich bag

Procedure:
1. Which item represents which part of the cell? (Draw a line matching the material to the cell part) 1. Large Container a. Cytoplasm 2. Sandwich Bag b. Nucleus 3.Water c. Cell Membrane 2. Pour water into the large container (for the sake of precautions, fill only halfway) 3. Place the DNA model in the plastic bag, and seal it tightly What do you think the nucleus role is? Where is DNA stored? 4. Place the plastic bag in the water-filled container In this lab you placed the DNA inside a plastic bag before placing it in the liquid. Why do you think DNA is not found floating around in the cytoplasm? 5. Cut a hole 6 cm wide on a corner of the sandwich bag. The nucleus inside a cell does not open and close at all; instead, it has small pores on its surface. 6. Without tearing a bigger hole, try getting your entire DNA model out of the bag. Does it fit? Cut a hole 6 cm wide on a corner of the sandwich bag. 7. Gently, pull out only half of the DNA model through the hole. What do you think this single-stranded molecule could be?