Dna And Protein Synthesis

DNA is found in the nucleus of every living cell. It’s made of long coiled molecules called Chromosomes. A gene is a short section of DNA. Each gene codes for a specific protein by specifying the order in which amino acids must be joined together. They are instruction manuals for our bodies. They are the directions for building all the proteins that make our bodies function. All of these genes are needed to give instructions for how to operate and control all parts of our bodies. The flow of information from the genes decides the amount and the exact place of where the protein should be made.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It consists of two connected ‘polynucleotide’ strands (a naturally occurring compound which is a polymer of mononucleotides) forming a double helix structure. As first discovered by James Watson and Francis Crick, the structure of DNA of all species includes of two helical chains each coiled round the same axis. These chains are arranged like a ladder that has been twisted into the shape of a winding staircase. Each nucleotide consists of three units: a sugar molecule called deoxyribose, a phosphate group, and one of the four different nitrogen-containing compounds called bases. The four bases are adenine (A) and thymine (T) (these two always pair up) and guanine (G), and cytosine (C) (these two always pair up and never with the other two). The deoxyribose molecule is found in the centre of the nucleotide, flanked by a phosphate group on one side and a base on the other. These linked ‘deoxyribose-phosphate subunits’ form the parallel side rails of the ladder. The bases face inward toward each other, forming the rungs of the ladder.
Protein is very important for all cells. They are made of building blocks called amino acids. A string of amino acids is called a polypeptide chain. Once this chain folds into its working ‘three-dimensional’