Duplication of Genetic Material (Replication)

Because of the structure of the individual strands of DNA, they can make identical copies of themselves. During this process the base pairs of the double helix separate in the middle like a zipper and for each single strand an exact complementary strand is synthesized. In this way, the two single strands of the original molecule are copied. Through the making of these identical copies of DNA, called replication, hereditary information is passed to offspring.

Simplified representation of protein synthesis in a cell. Transfer of the instructions for the manufacture of a proteinby copying (transcription) of a single strand ofDNAby means of mRNA (in mRNA the base thymine is replaced by the base uracil). This is ollowed by the manufacture of the protein molecule (translation) on the surface of the ribosome with the help of tRNA molecules. These bind in the cytoplasm specifically to the individual amino acids, e. g. leucine, glycine, ormethionine, that correspond to their base triplets and transport them to the ribosomes. With the aid of enzymes and ATP, the individual amino acids are combined into a protein molecule (polypeptide chain) (After Nultsch)