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Lecture notes

AQA A-level Biology Variation A* Notes

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Want to achieve top grades in AQA A-level Biology? These notes helped me secure an A*,and they can do the same for you! They’re designed to make revision straightforward by breaking down challenging AQA topics into clear concise and example focused explanations. These variation notes include key processes and descriptions that match AQA mark schemes. Plus, they are aesthetically designed with clean layouts, colour coding, and visual diagrams to make revisions more engaging and easier to memorise.

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Genetic Info
Variation
Relationships
between orgisms

, CHROMOSOMES: Short thick bundles
of DNA




CENTROMERE: Area where the
chromatids of a chromosome are
attached




LOCUS: a specific, fixed position on a
chromosome where a particular gene
or genetic marker is located




HOMOLOGOUS PAIRS: A pair of
chromosomes of the same type, one
from each parent.

Same genes at same alleles

, Nucleic acid
• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
• Ribonucleic acid (RNA) Bases
Purine bases (A+ G)
made up of monomers - nucleotides Pyramidine bases (C+T+U)
3 components:
• phosphate group DNA= A,T,G,C
RNA= A,U,C,G
• pentose sugar
• nitrogenous base

DNA ruure
• Antiparallel chains Each one of the 2 DNA strands has
one original stand and one newly
• width of helix is constant synthesised one
• no restrictions on sequence of bases
• sequence in one chain determines the other
• Complementary chains
• Sugar-phosphate backbone
• Bases paired in centre of helix
• DNA is capable of replication Semi conservative replication

DNA: The Triplet Code

• DNA provides code for organisms proteins
• Wide variety of proteins - due to seq of AA
• Approx. 20 essential AAs (regularly occur in proteins)
• Each AA must have own code on DNA


Why A Triplet Code?

• produces 64 codes
(more than enough to satisfy requirement of 20 AAs)

The Triplet Code: A seq of 3
bases codes for 1 amino acid


* DNA code transcribed onto mRNA

, RNA
Struure
• Ribose sugar
• Uracil base (instead of thymine)
• Single stranded nucleic acid
• No double helix
• Smaller + less complex
& It can pass out of the nucleus via the nuclear pores whereas
DNA cannot

Types
• Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) - structural component of ribosomes
• Messenger RNA (mRNA) - protein synthesis
• Transfer RNA (tRNA) - protein synthesis

mRNA
• single strands
• Made in nucleus via transcription , passes out via nucleus pores
• nucleus , into cytoplasm , to ribosomes
Each triplet of bases form a codon

* mRNA code
CODON: Sequence of 3 bases that complementary to
codes for a particular amino acid DNA code



tRNA

Struure *ROLE: trans specific AAs
• single stranded to mRNA mol at ribosome
• 'Clover-leaf' shaped
• Held by hydrogen bonds
• Bases in the anticodon are complementary to
bases in codon on mRNA
• Each type of tRNA can match + bind to
particular amino acid
(at amino acid binding site)
• tRNA - the intermediate between triplet codon
on mRNA and the amino acids
• Involved in translation during protein synthesis

Document information

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Uploaded on
June 10, 2025
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Written in
2024/2025
Type
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