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EvaRL EvaRL
wrote...
Posts: 39
Rep: 2 0
9 years ago
If genetic info is read going down, as in ATGGCC, etc, what about the other half of the ladder? because each base has a pair, so how can you just read one row down to see the genetic code?
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wrote...
9 years ago
DNA is NOT a simple molecule. For example your genetic code is marked by metilation so your enzymes can understand that which is the correct row.

If you learn more about it, ask me wthout hesitation Wink Face  I recommend you to read EPIGENETIC
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK
EvaRL Author
wrote...
9 years ago
so are there two parallel genes on the chromosome? does each half of the ladder express a separate gene?
wrote...
9 years ago
Of course not. DNA is a complex molecule so we don't say they are separate genes. Both of them are different because they have different side groups. For example metilation, asetilation ext.
I recommend you to read genetic imprinting
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK
EvaRL Author
wrote...
9 years ago
sorry, maybe I'm not getting something but can you explain how the two sides of the ladder (each half of the base pair) work together to determine the gene? I'm confused because all the books say the genetic code is read as the sequence of bases going down but there are two parallel bases!
wrote...
9 years ago
Yes genetic code is read going down but it may read from two sides. If you tell me the book or source that it confuses you, I will help you much more
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK
EvaRL Author
wrote...
9 years ago
oh, so both sides going down spell the same gene? ex. ACTG etc will code for the same gene as TGAC etc?
wrote...
9 years ago
Not exatly
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK
EvaRL Author
wrote...
9 years ago
so how?
wrote...
Educator
9 years ago
Hello EvaRL

Polymerase reads 5 prime to 3 prime in both directions.

I've draw a picture to give you an idea.
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EvaRL Author
wrote...
9 years ago
sorry, I don't get the exact meaning of "5 prime to 3 prime". Can you elaborate and translate any fancy biological terms into simple English?
Thanks! I appreciate your time!
wrote...
9 years ago
He want to say DNA polymerase can synthesize new DNA bidirectional.

EvaRL can you ask me again what you want to learn? I don't understand you exactly
Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK
wrote...
9 years ago
sorry, I don't get the exact meaning of "5 prime to 3 prime". Can you elaborate and translate any fancy biological terms into simple English?
Thanks! I appreciate your time!

Biology - The only science where multiplication and division mean the same thing.
wrote...
9 years ago Edited: 9 years ago, Biochembiochem
DNA is double stranded, made up of sugars known as deoxyribose, nitrogenous bases (A,T,C,G)  and phosphate group. The phosphate group is always bonded to the 5 prime carbon of the sugar. The 5 prime simply means the carbon number in the deoxyribose ring (deoxyribose sugar is in a pentagonal ring with 4 carbons in the ring, one oxygen in the ring and CH2OH {which is the 5' carbon  attached to carbon number 4 of the ring}). 5 prime carbon in the just the carbon that's the fifth carbon in the deoxyribose ring.

Each strand of the DNA in the double helix is called polynucleotide strands and one runs from 5 prime end to 3 prime end and the other strand runs from 3 prime end to 5 prime end (just the opposite). The 5 prime and 3 prime are nothing but the names of the carbon to which the phosphate groups are attached to.


From a genetics book, "At one end of the strand, a free phosphate group is attached to the 5 prime carbon atom (carbon number 5 of the ring) of the sugar (meaning the deoxyribose sugar) in the nucleotide. This end of the strand, referred to as the 3 prime end, has a free OH group attached to the 3 prime carbon atom of the sugar."

So, what all this is saying is: one phosphate is attached to carbon number 5 of the deoxyribose sugar ring, and another phosphate is attached to carbon number 3 of the same deoxyribose sugar ring. If you look at figure posted by savio, you can clearly see that the 3 prime to 5 prime strand (the right strand) has flipped deoxyribose sugars, so the 3 prime to 5 prime strand is antiparallel to the 5 prime to 3 prime strand (the left one).
As bio_man already said, a polymerase reads from 5 prime to 3 prime. So, we can suppose the 5 prime to 3 prime strand to be the orginal template and the 3 prime to 5 prime strand be just a complementary strand. We, you could flip the 3 prime to 5 prime strand to get 5 prime to 3 prime strand.

If you have a 5 prime to 3 prime strand with bases ATCGGC, then the complementary 3 prime to 5 prime strand will have the bases TAGCCG, or the flipped 3 prime to 5 prime strand will give GCCGAT. This is a little complicated but when we are talking about genes, we are only talking about a certain section of DNA, so, we don't consider the whole strand. For your question regarding whether the 3 prime to 5 prime strand will give the same result as the 5 prime to 3 prime end, well its a bit complicated:

Firstly, a DNA strand, the 5 prime to 3 prime strand, will transcribe mRNA. You might know about the start and stop codons and all that. The mRNA will be complementary to the template strand (the double strand DNA splits into two strands, the 5' to 3' strand will transcribe complementary RNA strand and this RNA will further go on to translate amino acids and finally into proteins.)

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