DNA Structure and Replication Definitions Deoxyribonucleic Acid DNA the molecule of heredity common to all life forms that is passed from parents to offspring Chromosome a single large DNA molecule wrapped around proteins Chromosomes are located in the nuclei of most eukaryotic cells Nucleotides the building blocks of DNA Each nucleotide consists of a sugar a phosphate and a base The sequence of nucleotides A C G T along a DNA strand is unique to each person Double Helix the spiral structure formed by two strands of DNA nucleotides bound together DNA Profile a visual representation of a person s unique DNA sequence Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR a laboratory technique used to replicate and thus amplify a specific DNA segment DNA replication the natural process by which cells make an identical copy of a DNA molecule Complementary two strands of DNA are said to be complementary in that A always pairs with T and G always pairs with C DNA Polymerase an enzyme that reads the sequence of a DNA strand and helps to add complementary nucleotides to form a new strand during DNA replication Semi Conservative DNA replication is said to be semi conservative because each newly made DNA molecule has one original and one new strand of DNA Genome one complete set of genetic instructions encoded in the DNA of an organism Short Tandem Repeats STRs sections of a chromosome in which DNA sequences are repeated Coding Regions sequences of DNA that serve as instructions for making proteins Noncoding Regions DNA sequences that do not hold instructions to make proteins Gel Electrophoresis a laboratory technique that separates fragments of DNA by size
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