Thursday, February 16, 2012

DNA replication

Author's note: I had done a project on DNA replication and I had decided to do a writing piece on it. My goal in this writing piece is to have good organization, and a very good thesis statement.

Just imagine, while you are doing just about anything little objects called DNA are splitting apart to make more and more of it. While you probably think that's scary just think about how much good it's doing for your body. You might be thinking how would that do anything good for your body by just ripping apart multiple times until it dies, but there are many more steps on how they separate.

In the Beginning, of this process something called a Helicase comes along. What a helicase does is it splits the DNA apart. When it finishes little objects called SSBS attach onto the seperated DNA strands so they won't mold back together. After the SSB gathers onto the DNA piece called the Polymerase. Since there's an opposite coordination of 5' and 3' the Polymerase one layering on part of the DNA. Then an object called nucleotide starts its layering at the 3' end and removes the Polymerase and finishes it layering in the 5' to 3' direction. The nucleotide is pushed by something called the sliding clamp. Once that is finished each of the two new strands get layered with the nucleotide in the 5' to 3' direction, and one new strand is layered continuously. The other strand isn't layered continuously. Which are the Okazaki fragments. They are eventually joined together to make a completely new strand. Once all that's done comes the final steps. Then the DNA polymerase fills in gaps left by RNase H on the lagging strand. Finally the Ligase joins the layered tops together.

Now imagine what the DNA would do to you.
Since everyone acquires some changes to their DNA during the course of their lives. This is called DNA mutations(DNA changes). These changes occur in many ways. Sometimes there are simple copying errors that are introduced when DNA replicates itself.

Other changes are introduced as a result of DNA damage through environmental agents including sunlight, cigarette smoke, and radiation. Our cells have built in structues that catch and repair most of the changes that occur during DNA replication. As we age, however, our DNA repair does not work as effectively and we store changes in our DNA.

While it seems that the mutations are all good there are some effects to them to. Such as,
the cells in our body contain DNA, there are lots of places for mutations to occur. While some mutations cannot be passed on to the offspring and do not matter for evolution. Somatic mutations occur in the non-reproductive cells and they won't be passed onto the offspring. Some example are like how you get freckles, or how you develope cancer


That's the process of the DNA, the mutations and effects of the mutations. While it might be fun to stay and study about how DNA splits apart I'm going to split my cells out of here! Hopefully my DNA doesn't split too fast and something goes wrong with my mutations.

No comments: