What is the purpose of DNA in a cell?
• DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living things; all known cellular life and some viruses contain DNA.
• The main role of DNA in the cell is the long-term storage of individual information and replication of the cell organism.
Why can’t you see the double helix with the naked eye?
• Double Helix: the structure formed by the double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids such as DNA
The double helix structure cannot be seen by the naked eye as the width of the DNA Double Helix is approximately one billionth of a meter, while human eyes cannot distinguish objects less than 0.02mm wide. An optical light microscope would
…show more content…
• The DNA Extraction process ‘breaks down’ the Plasma Membrane surrounding the Cell and the Nucleus containing the Strawberry's DNA. The Plasma Membrane is composed of a phospholipid Bilayer with Proteins embedded within it. Each phospholipid molecule consists of two fatty acid chains joined to a phosphate-containing group. The phosphate-containing group of a phospholipid molecule constitutes its hydrophilic head. The fatty acid chains constitute the hydrophobic tail of each phospholipid molecule.
• This allows the salt Water in the Extraction Buffer to draw the water from the Vacuole through the process of Osmosis, leaving the DNA to combine together.
What possible benefits might be obtained by the ability to isolate the DNA of any
…show more content…
- The DNA in an Animal cell would appear in larger quantities when compared to Plant Cells, the complexity of the Animal cell would also be greater than that of a Plant cell.
- The cells of all animals and plants contain DNA in a Double Helix form, produced using the same four chemical nucleotides.
- The plant cell has a rigid Cell Wall and a large Vacuole in comparison to the Animal Cell which has a relatively small Vacuole and is WITHOUT a Cell Wall. The passive diffusion process of Osmosis when regarding the Extraction Buffer and the Salt to Water concentration, would be smaller in the Animal cell due to the lack of a large Vacuole (amount of water); therefore the Water-Alcohol interface would become smaller resulting from the lack of water.
- The Animal cell would also be without a Cell Wall, allowing the DNA to be released more efficiently and in greater quantities when regarding their complexity.
Which ‘ingredient’ do you think might have the most effect on the amount of DNA you extract – How can you test your hypothesis? Briefly describe an experiment to test your