Sunday, March 13, 2016

DATA-BASED QUESTIONS
Chargaffs data

NZIZA RICHARD

(CHAPTER 2)

(Page 107)

1. The eukaryotes have similar amounts of bases, but Mycobacterium have very different
amounts bases compared to the eukaryotes. As shown in the table, Mycobacterium
has higher guanine and cytosine but lower adenine and thymine
2. For Humans:
31+19.1=50.1
18.4+31.5=49.9
50.1/49.9=1.00
For Bacterium:
15.1+34.9=50
35.4+14.6=50
50/50=1.00
3. Ignoring the experimental error this supports the hypothesis, however difference in
quantities of A/T and G/C are too small to be notable.
4. Complementary base pairing between A and T suggests that they both need to be in
the same amount, this also applies to C and G.
5. Polio virus may be RNA a there is no Thymine, therefore the amount of Uracil data
needs to be provided. Bacteriophage T2 is double stranded, as it contains thymine.

The bases in DNA

(Page 109)

1. It does not contain oxygen.

2. Nitrogen is used to link the base and the deoxyribose. The base is joins to 1 of the
deoxyribose.
3. - They have two rings of atoms on their molecule.
- They have a 6-membered and a 5-membered ring.
- The nitrogen and carbon atoms are in the same places in the rings.
4. - They have one six
- Membered ring with carbons and nitrogens.
- Both have an oxygen linked to a carbon in the ring.
5. They have different shapes for enabling complementary base paring, so each base
pairs with each other. Complementary base pairing states that A pairs with T and G pairs
with C. The bases pair by hydrogen bonds. Base pairing is useful in the production of
genetically identical organisms. It also helps gene to recognise specific sequences of
bases, in order to regulate and check for unknowns.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

NZIZA RICHARD

The Meselson and Stahl experiment

(Page 113114)

1. The DNA was produced containing 14N in the organic bases, since 14N is nonradioactive it has a lower mass than 15N which is radioactive.
2. a) 1.717 g cm-3
b) It falsifies conservative replication because that method would give two strands with
densities of 1.710 g cm-3 and 1.724 g cm-3. And dispersive replication cannot give a
strand half way between the higher and lower density values.
3. a) There will be two strands of DNA, with densities of 1.717 g cm-3 and 1.710 g cm-3.
There will be equal amounts of the two strands.
b) It falsifies the dispersive replication mechanism, as there would only be one strand,
since all the DNA would be to some extent 1.710 cm-3 and some extent 1.724 g cm-3
4. Less and less DNA with densities 1.717 g cm-3, as all new strands are 1.710 g cm-3, and
when the strands are replicated, the DNA produced has density of 1.714 g cm-3
5.

3rd

2nd

1st

6. The result will be 3 strands with densities of 1.710, 1.717 and 1.724 g cm-3.