Zusammenfassung der Ressource
B3 - Molecules of Life section
- Cell Structure
- Ribosomes
- Some cell structures are
too small to be seen with
the light microscope.
Ribosomes are like this.
- They can only be seen using an
electron microscope.
- They are found in the cytoplasm and
are the site of protein synthesis.
- Mitochondria
- Mitochondria are tiny
structures found in cells
(one is called a
mitochondrion).
- Respiration, the chemical reaction that
releases energy from glucose,
happens in mitochondria.
- This provides energy for life
process such as movement
and growth.
- Tissues and organs that need a lot of energy
have large numbers of mitochondria in their
cells. For example, liver cells and muscle cells
contain a lot of mitochondria.
- DNA and genetic code
- Chromonsomes
- The cell's nucleus contains
chromosomes.
- These are long, coiled molecules of DNA, divided
up into regions called genes.
- The diagram shows the relationship between the cell,
its nucleus, chromosomes in the nucleus, and genes.
- DNA
- The information contained in genes is in the
form of coded instructions called the genetic
code.
- The genetic code
controls cell activity,
which means that it
also controls some
characteristics of the
organism.
- DNA controls the production of different
proteins.
- These are needed for
the growth and repair
of cells.
- Structure of DNA
- Discovery
- Two scientists, James Watson and Francis
Crick, worked out the structure of DNA.
- By using data from other scientists they were able
to build a model of DNA.
- The data they used showed that bases occurred in pairs. Further x-ray
data showed that there were two chains wound into a double helix.
- A Double Helix
- Each strand of DNA is made of chemicals
called bases.
- There are four different types of bases, shown as
A, T, C and G in the diagram. In DNA, two strands
coil together to form a double helix.
- There are chemical cross-links between
the two strands, formed by pairs of bases.
- Genes and
Proteins
- Each gene in a molecule of DNA contains:
- A different
sequence of
bases
- Codes for a particular protein
- Proteins are made in the cytoplasm of a cell, not
in the nucleus.
- Genes cannot leave the nucleus, so
a copy of the gene is needed.
- This copy is able to leave the nucleus to go
into the cytoplasm so that proteins can be
made by the cell.
- Making Proteins
- Complementary base pairs
- The four bases of DNA are A, T, C and G.
- They always pair up in a particular way,
called complementary base pairing: A – T
and G – C
- The DNA base code
- Protein structure is
determined by the DNA base
code.
- Proteins are made from lots of
amino acids joined together.
- Each amino acid is coded by the sequence
(order) of three bases. For example, GGT codes
are found in glycine but TCA codes are found in
serine, a different amino acid.
- The sequence of bases determines the
sequence of amino acids in a protein molecule.
- DNA controls the functions of a cell by controlling its
production of proteins. Some of these proteins are
enzymes.
- Messenger RNA (mRNA)
- Ribosomes
are the site
of protein
synthesis.
- They are found in the cytoplasm but
DNA is found in the nucleus.
- The genetic code needed to make a particular
protein is carried from the DNA to the
ribosomes by a molecule called mRNA.
- Making:
- mRNA from DNA is called
transcription
- Proteins from mRNA is called translation