Unravelling DNA’s structure

Unravelling DNA’s structure

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context: Unravelling DNA’s structure- A landmark achievement whose authors were not fairly credited. History has acknowledged how Rosalind Franklin was sidelined. Much has changed since 1953. However, women are still massively underrepresented in the higher echelons of science.

DNA:

• Nucleus of a living cell is responsible for this transmission of inherent characters, also called heredity.
• The particles in nucleus of the cell, responsible for heredity, are called chromosomes which are made up of proteins and another type of biomolecules called nucleic acids.
• Nucleic acids are responsible for the transfer of characters from parents to off springs. There are two types of nucleic acids — DNA and RNA.
• A nucleic acid containing deoxyribose is called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) while that which contains ribose is called ribonucleic acid (RNA).
• Both DNA and RNA contain Adenine, Guanine and Cytosine. The fourth base is Thymine in DNA and Uracil in RNA.
• The structure of DNA is a double strand [helix] whereas RNA is a single strand molecule.
• Hydrogen bonds bind the nitrogenous bases of the two separate polynucleotide strands to make double-stranded DNA.
• The DNA backbone is resistant to cleavage, and both strands of the double-stranded structure store the same biological information. Biological information is replicated as the two strands are separated.
• Within cells, DNA is organized into long structures called chromosomes. During cell division these chromosomes are duplicated in the process of DNA replication, providing each cell its own complete set of chromosomes.
• Eukaryotic organisms (animals, plants, fungi, and protists) store most of their DNA inside the cell nucleus and some of their DNA in organelles, such as mitochondria or chloroplasts.
• In contrast, prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) store their DNA only in the cytoplasm.
• DNA is the chemical basis of heredity and have the coded message for proteins to be synthesized in the cell.

DNA Fingerprinting:

• DNA fingerprinting is a technique that is used to identify individuals by analyzing their DNA. It is also called DNA profiling or genetic fingerprinting.
• DNA fingerprinting is based on the fact that every person has a unique DNA sequence, except for identical twins, who have the same DNA sequence.
• The process of DNA fingerprinting involves extracting DNA from a sample, such as blood or saliva, and then analyzing it to identify the unique DNA sequence.
• This is done by using techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gel electrophoresis, and Southern blotting.
• DNA fingerprinting has many applications, including forensic investigations, paternity testing, and genetic research.

DNA Sequencing:

• DNA sequencing is a process of determining the nucleotide sequence of a DNA molecule, which involves reading the DNA molecule’s order of nucleotide bases, namely adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).
• This process has revolutionized the study of genetics and has numerous applications in various fields, including medical research, forensic science, evolutionary biology, and agriculture.

Women in Science https://optimizeias.com/women-in-science/