DNA + RNA

Question 1

What is Griffith’s experiment? What did he conclude?

Answer 1

By injecting different strains of pneumonia in mice, and combining two non-pathogenic strains (heat treated s-strain and r-strain) he noticed that the mice still died. He discovered that a heritable substance could transform the living r strain cells into pathogenic bacteria. TRANSFORMING PRINCIPLE.

Question 2

Who is Oswald Avery? Why is he important?

Answer 2

He identified through various experiments, that DNA is the transforming principle. Not protein or RNA as some may have believed.

Question 3

What is the Hershey and Chase experiment ? What did they discover?

Answer 3

Using bacteriophages, marked with phosphorus (found in DNA) and sulfur (found in protein) that infect bacteria, they found that phosphorus (DNA) was present in the bacteria, while the sulfur remained outside of the bacteria. Therefore, they concluded DNA carries genetic info, not protein.

Question 4

What are the four primary properties of DNA?

Answer 4

1. DNA is found in all cells of the body
2. Replicate and produce exact copies of itself.
3. Be passed from generation to generation.
4. Determine biological development.

Question 5

What is the full name for DNA?

Answer 5

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Question 6

What is the full name for RNA?

Answer 6

Ribonucleic acid

Question 7

What are the components (from L to R) of a nucleotide?

Answer 7

Phosphate group, sugar (pentose), nitrogen base.

Question 8

What are nucleic acids made up of?

Answer 8

Monomers, called nucleotides.

Question 9

Name all pyrimidines:

Answer 9

1. Thymine
2. Cytosine
3. Urasil

Question 10

Name all purines:

Answer 10

1. Adenine
2. Guanine

Question 11

How many rings are in pyrimidines vs. purines? Which is found in both DNA and RNA?

Answer 11

Pyrimidines: 1 (6 carbon)
Purines: 2 (5 carbon + 6 carbon)

Purines are found in both DNA and RNA

Question 12

What are the two types of sugars/pentose?

Answer 12

-deoxyribose (DNA)
-ribose (RNA)

Question 13

Which element makes up the handrails of DNA?

Answer 13

Sugar/phosphate

Question 14

What makes up the rungs of DNA?

Answer 14

Nitrogen bases (A,T,C,G)

Question 15

Who are Watson and Crick? Who is Rosalind Franklin? What did they discover?

Answer 15

Watson and Crick proposed the idea of a double helix structure of DNA. Based on the images taken via xray by Rosalind Franklin.

Question 16

How many hydrogen bonds hold together the nitrogenous bases?

Answer 16

2 - A/T
3 - C/G

Question 17

Who is Edwin Chargaff? What did he propose?

Answer 17

1. Proportions of nucleotide bases on species specific.
2. A = T
   G = C