BASIC BIOLOGY
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I N T R O D U C T I O N TO G E N E T I C S
Genetics is a field of biology that studies how
traits are passed from parents to their
offspring. The passing of traits from parents
to offspring is known as heredity, therefore,
genetics is the study of heredity. This
introduction to genetics takes you through
the basic components of genetics such as
DNA, genes, chromosomes and genetic
inheritance.
Genetics is built around molecules called
DNA. DNA molecules hold all the genetic
information for an organism. It provides cells
with the information they need to perform
tasks that allow an organism to grow, survive
and reproduce. A gene is one particular
section of a DNA molecule that tells a cell to
perform one specific task.
Heredity is what makes children look like
their parents. During reproduction, DNA is
replicated and passed from a parent to their
offspring. This inheritance of genetic
material by offspring influences the
appearance and behavior of the offspring.
The environment that an organism lives in
can also influence how genes are expressed.
DNA
DNA is the cornerstone of genetics and is the
perfect place to start for an introduction to
genetics. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic
acid and it is the molecule that holds the
genetic information for a cell and an
organism.
A DNA molecule contains a code that can be
used by a cell to express certain genes.
Specific sections of a DNA molecule provides
the information to build specific proteins
which can then be used by a cell to express
the desired gene.
A DNA molecule is a nucleic acid, one of the
four molecules of life. It comes in the form of
a long, linear molecule referred to as a strand.
Each strand of DNA is bonded to a second
strand of DNA to form a DNA double helix. In
eukaryotic cells, DNA is found in the nucleus
as a tightly coiled double helix.
DNA molecules are replicated during cell
division. When a cell divides, the two new
cells contain all the same DNA that the
original cell had.
In sexual reproduction with two parents, half
of the DNA of the offspring is provided by
each of the parents. The genetic material of a
child is made from 50% of their mother’s
DNA and 50% their father’s DNA.
Genes
A gene is a specific segment of a DNA
molecule that holds the information for one
specific protein. DNA molecules have a
unique code for each gene which codes for
their specific protein. Some organisms can
have more than 100,000 different genes so
they will have 100,000 unique sequences of
DNA ‘code’.
Genes are the basic unit of heredity. The
genes of an individual are determined by
their parent or parents. A bacteria that is
born by one parent cell splitting into two cells
and has the exact same genes as their one
parent cell.
A human, on the other hand, has two copies
of each gene – one set from their mother and
a second set from their father. Different
forms of the same gene are called alleles. For
each gene, a human can have two different
alleles or two of the same alleles – one from
each parent.
Physical traits such as eye color or height are
often determined by the combination of
multiple genes. The environment an
individual lives in also impacts how genes are
expressed.
Chromosomes
A chromosome is a structure made from
tightly packed strands of DNA and proteins
called histones. Strands of DNA are tightly
wrapped around the histone proteins and
form into long worm-shaped structures
called ‘chromatids’. Two chromatids join
together to form a chromosome.
Chromosomes are formed in the nucleus of a
cell when a cell is dividing. It is possible to see
chromosomes under an ordinary light
microscope if the cell is in the right stage of
cell division.
The number of chromosomes varies
between species. Humans have 46
chromosomes. Some species can have many
more than 100 chromosomes while others
can have as little as two.
Genetic inheritance
Inheritance is the backbone of genetics and
is an important topic to cover in an
introduction to genetics. Long before DNA
had been discovered and the word ‘genetics’
had been invented, people were studying the
inheritance of traits from one generation to
the next.
Genetic inheritance occurs both in sexual
reproduction and asexual reproduction. In
sexual reproduction, two organisms
contribute DNA to produce a new organism.
In asexual reproduction, one organism
provides all the DNA and produces a clone of
themselves. In either, genetic material is
passed from one generation to the next.
Experiments performed by a monk named
Gregor Mendel provided the foundations of
our current understanding of how genetic
material is passed from parents to their
offspring.
Introduction to Geneti…
Video by Frank Gregorio. To see more brilliant
videos like this one, check out Greg’s vimeo
channel
Last edited: 31 August 2020
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Genetics | DNA replication | Genetic
Inheritance | Transcription & translation
CAMPBELL BIOLOGY
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