• Question: Are plant genes like our genes or are they completely different.

    Asked by to Amelia, Clem, Izzy, Sarah on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Isabel Webb

      Isabel Webb answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      All the organisms in the world have genes made up from DNA, and if you break down that DNA into its individual pieces, it is all the same.

      Genes are sections of DNA that make proteins – and these proteins are what make us all different from our DNA. Obviously, we are completely different from plants if you look at us. However, there are lots of proteins that we both have. These include proteins for using oxygen, proteins for signalling between cells and proteins for making cells, our basic building blocks. In fact, there are an awful lot of these genes that are similar. Half of our genes are the same as a banana!
      The other half of our genes are very different, and lead to the differences between us – for example, we need genes to make a brain, a heart, blood and other parts of our body, whilst plants need to make roots, leaves and flowers.

      If you think that sharing half our genes with a banana is impressive, think about this: we share 99% of our genes with a chimpanzee!! Thats only one in every 100 genes that is different. We have about 20,000 genes – so only 200 genes are differen between us and chimps! Thats quite crazy.

    • Photo: Amelia Frizell-Armitage

      Amelia Frizell-Armitage answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      For (almost) all living organisms including both plants and animals, genes are made of a molecule called DNA. DNA exists in every cell of every organism and codes for your genes. In this way plant genes are like our genes.

      DNA is a very long molecule made of lots of small units joined together. There are only 4 types of small unit that are repeated over and over again to make the long DNA molecule. These units are called Adenine, Guanine, Thymine and Cytosine.

      It is actually the ORDER of these 4 units in the DNA that determines what genes you have, and of course your genes control how your body works, looks, and what species you are! Although plants have DNA the same as us, the order of these 4 units in their DNA will be completely different to ours. This means they have very different genes which tell the cell that it is a plant cell.

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