How to Briefly Describe Two Functions of DNA in the Cell
- 1). Give a brief overview of DNA before explaining its function. The structure of DNA is an intertwined double helix, with four base pairs of molecules (adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine) joining together to form the structure. The importance of the double helix is that it allows for a large amount of information to be encoded in DNA, which gives rise to the complexity of life.
- 2). Explain how DNA encodes all the genetic information of the organism. The most important function of DNA is that it contains all the information of the cell; even in a muti-cellular organism, all the information of all possible permutations in DNA, thus every cell in a given organism has exactly the same DNA. Proteins serve the role of carrying out the DNA's encoded message.
- 3). Describe how DNA functions in repairing itself. DNA contains enzymes which serve to repair broken strands, replicate missing strands and match up mismatched base pairs. Note that this repair is only for the DNA itself, and does not apply to other parts of the cell.