Monitopicaro99

Objectives:

Construct and analyze a modelo of DNA.
Simulate the process of replication using a model.
Simulate the process of transcription using a model.

Process Skills

DemostratingIdentifying
Manipulating a model

Materials

Plastic soda straw, cut into 3cm sections (54)
Metric ruler
Scissors
Permanent Marker
54 puships (12 red, 12 blue, 12 yellow, 12 green, and 6 white)54 paper clip.






























Background

1) Describe the structure of DNA.
2) State the base-pairing rules.
3) List the steps involved inthe copying of DNA before cell division.
4) What is MRNA, and what is its function in protein synthesis?
5) Describe the process of transcription

Part A: Making a Model of DNA.

1) Cutthe soda straws into 3 cm pieces to make 54 segments.
2) Insert a pushpin midway along the lenght of each straw segment as shown in the figure below. Push a paper clip into one end of each strawsegment until it touches the pin.
3) Keeping the pins un a straight line, insert the paper clip from a blue-pushpin into the open end of a red-pushpin segment. Add additional straw segments to thered-segment end in the following order: green, yellow, blue, yellow, blue, yellow, green, red, red and green. Use the permanent marker to label the blue.segment end “top”. This chain of segments is onehalf of your first model.
4) Assign nucleotides to the corresponding pushpin colors as follows:
red = adenine, blue = guanine, yellow = cytosine, and green = thymine.
5) Construct theother half of your first model beginning with a yellow segment across from the blue pushpin at the top of your first model. Keep the pins in a straight line. Link segments together according to thebase-pairing rules.
6) When you have completed your model of one DNA segment, make a sketch of the model in your lab report. Use colored pencils or pens to designate the pushpin colors. Include a...