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DNA

DNA is the hereditary material

Advanced Placement Biology essay questions on DNA

What does the hereditary material look like?

• Chromosomes, karyotype
• Isolate the macromolecule, DNA
• Model the 4 base structures, hydrogen bonding

How does DNA work?

• Central dogma (Replication, Transcription, Translation)
• Gene expression is generally regulated. Substances (like food or hormones) activate or inactivate transcription. Application: Reporter genes that glow or generate color are used to study how gene expression is controlled)
• Replication to make new copies for daughter cells. (New application of basic knowledge: Polymerase Chain Reaction)

Mutation (any change in the DNA sequence)

• Genetic disease (ramifications of mutation examples sickle cell anemia, huntington's disease)
• Detected sometimes through restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis (serendipity: sickle cell mutation changes restriction site sequence in the patient's DNA)
• Polymorphisms (New application of this basic knowledge: Forensic identification --- World Trade Center, OJ Simpson, Unknown Soldier, missing children in Latin America)

Extracting DNA

Strawberry

Kiwi