Explain the difference between conservative and semiconservative replication.

And explain how the

Meselson and Stahl experiment determined which was correct. Include the expected results for both
proposed types of replication and give the actual results, and tell which theory was supported by the
results of the experiment. If a diagram will help explain then please include but please label it well.

Conservative Replication is when the two DNA strands creates two new copies of the original DNA, the
old molecule, and two new strands of a new molecule with a new DNA, but we the same sequence the
original DNA. On the other hand, Semi-conservative replication defends that the two strains of the
molecule separate, and it make a copy of itself. Ending up with two molecules, one with the original
DNA strand, and the other with a new one.

The Meselson and Stahl experiment, was based in the addition of heavy and light Nitrogen in a E.Coli
culture, and examine the results and conclude which form of replication is correct. Since Nitrogen is one
of the constituents of DNA, two types of Nitrogen, isotopes, were made and reserved for this
experiment, a Heavy Nitrogen, (N15) and a light Nitrogen, (N14). The Heavy Nitrogen (N15) came first,
being added in a culture of E.Coli, and left for a good amount of time, expecting the E.coli to recognize
the Nitrogen, and it uses to synthesize new biological material, DNA. After that, the E.coli culture was
moved to a environment with the light Nitrogen (N 14).

For this technique, was used a Density gradient centrifugation, that is commonly use to separates
molecules such as DNA into bands after rotating them at high speed in the presence of another
molecule, in this experiment Cesium Chloride (CsCl) was used, which forms a density gradient from the
top to the bottom of the tube. Gradient centrifugation allows small differences such as detecting which
DNA contains heavy nitrogen (N15) and which contains light nitrogen (N 14), to be detected. They
observed that the strand of DNA in the density gradient was different in each generation of bacteria. At
the time of transfer, the DNA was uniformly labeled with N 15 and, as a result, was relatively dense. After
a generation, when the DNA had replicated once, all the DNA was of intermediate density. After two
generations, there were two equally large strands of DNA, one with low density and one with
intermediate density. In samples from sequential generations, the proportion of low-density DNA
constantly increased. The results of this experiment are explained by the semi-conservative model of
replication. High density DNA had two N15 strands, intermediate density DNA had only one N 15 strand
and one N14 strand. In the first cycle of DNA replication, the strands of the double helix both weighed
with N15 separated. While separated, each strand acted as a template for the second strand, which
contained only N14 and, consequently, was less dense. Each double helix had a N 15 and a N14 tape of
intermediate density. In the second replication, the 14N-containing strand directed the synthesis of the
N14 containing strand, creating low-density DNA, and the N 15 strands gained new N14 partners.