DNA Structure And Replication Flashcards
What theory linked chromosomes to Mendel’s principles?
Chromosomal theory of inheritance
Developed in the early 1900s.
Who demonstrated sex-linked traits confirming the chromosomal theory?
Thomas Morgan Hunt
His work provided evidence for the chromosomal basis of inheritance.
What did Griffith’s experiments identify in bacteria?
The ‘transforming principle’
Conducted in the 1920s.
Which experiment confirmed DNA as the ‘transforming principle’?
Avery’s work
Conducted in the 1940s.
What was the purpose of the Hershey-Chase experiment?
To confirm DNA as the hereditary molecule
Used radio-labeled DNA and proteins in bacteriophages.
Who revealed DNA’s helical structure through X-ray diffraction?
Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
Their work was crucial in understanding DNA structure.
What model of DNA did Watson and Crick propose?
The double helix model
Proposed in 1953 based on X-ray data.
What is DNA composed of?
A polymer of nucleotides
Each nucleotide consists of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
What are the nitrogenous bases found in DNA?
- Adenine
- Thymine
- Guanine
- Cytosine
These bases pair to form the genetic code.
What is the structure of the DNA backbone?
Sugar-phosphate backbone with bases inside
Nucleotides form this backbone.
What structural feature of DNA involves strands running in opposite directions?
Antiparallel strands
This arrangement is critical for replication and function.
What base pairs complementarily in DNA?
- A-T (2 hydrogen bonds)
- G-C (3 hydrogen bonds)
These pairs are essential for the stability of the DNA molecule.
What does Chargaff’s rule state?
Equal amounts of purines and pyrimidines
It provides evidence for complementary base-pairing: A and G are purines, T and C are pyrimidines.
What is the primary model of DNA replication proposed by Watson and Crick?
Semiconservative replication: each new DNA molecule contains one parental strand and one newly synthesized strand.
This model was confirmed by Meselson and Stahl’s experiment using isotope-labeled DNA.
What are the three proposed replication mechanisms that could lead to different experimental results?
Conservative, semiconservative, and dispersive replication.
Each mechanism proposes a different way in which DNA strands could be replicated.