History of Nucleic Acid Research

Question 1

Who made the study with virulent and non-virulent streptococcus pneumoniae that showed that there was a transformative material.

Answer 1

Griffith

Question 2

Who used Griffith’s studies with Streptococcus pneumoniae to show that the transformative material was DNA? How?

Answer 2

Avery, used digestive enzymes to isolate DNA, RNA and protein, only DNA caused the transformation. This proved that DNA carries genetic information and not protein.

Question 3

What are bacteria that are unable to grow on minimum medium, due to a mutation in a metabolic pathway, called?

Answer 3

Auxotrophs

Question 4

Describe the experiment that finally convinced the world that DNA is the genetic material. Who is accredited with this experiment?

Answer 4

Hershey and Chase

Labelled the protein coat of T2 bacteriaphage with Sulfur 35, labelled the DNA of T2 with phosphorous 32.

Infected bacterias, the blended and centrifuged resulting solution.

The sulfur 35 was detected in the supernatant, attached to the ghost T2s.

Phosphorous 32 was detected in the pellet of bacteria. Meaning that DNA had been transferred into the bacteria, and not protein.