Chapter 10 DNA Structure and Analysis

1) The basic structure of a nucleotide includes ________.

1. A) amino acids
2. B) tryptophan and leucine
3. C) base, sugar, and phosphate
4. D) mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA
5. E) phosphorus and sulfur

Answer: C

Section: 10.6

2) The classic Hershey and Chase (1952) experiment that offered evidence in support
of DNA being the genetic material in bacteriophages made use of which of the following
labeled component(s)?

1. A) phosphorus and sulfur

2. B) nitrogen and oxygen
3. C) tritium
4. D) hydrogen
5. E) None of the answers listed is correct.

Answer: A

Section: 10.3

3) Reverse transcriptase is an enzyme found in association with retroviral activity. It has

the property of ________.

1. A) synthesis of DNA from an RNA template

2. B) synthesis of RNA from a DNA template
3. C) requiring no template
4. D) translation
5. E) most lysozymes

Answer: A

Section: 10.5

4) What are the two major components of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus?

1. A) RNA and DNA

2. B) DNA and protein
3. C) RNA and protein
 4. D) lipids and nucleic acids
5. E) carbohydrates and nucleic acids

Answer: C

Section: 10.5

5) Considering the structure of double-stranded DNA, which kind(s) of bonds hold one
complementary strand to the other?

1. A) ionic
2. B) covalent
3. C) van der Waals
4. D) hydrogen
5. E) hydrophobic and hydrophilic

Answer: D

Section: 10.7

6) Regarding the structure of DNA, the covalently arranged combination of a

deoxyribose and a nitrogenous base would be called a(n) ________.

1. A) nucleotide
2. B) ribonucleotide
3. C) monophosphate nucleoside
4. D) oligonucleotide
5. E) nucleoside

Answer: E

Section: 10.6

7) In the classic experiment conducted by Hershey and Chase, why was the pellet
radioactive in the centrifuge tube that contained bacteria with viruses?

1. A) The bacteria were in the pellet, and they had incorporated radioactive proteins
into their

cell membranes.

1. B) The radioactive viruses (coats plus DNA) were in the pellet.

2. C) The bacteria were in the pellet, and many contained the radioactive viral DNA.
3. D) The radioactive protein coats of the viruses were in the pellet.
4. E) The radioactive viruses were in the pellet, and the bacteria were in the
supernatant.
Answer: C

Section: 10.3

8) If 15% of the nitrogenous bases in a sample of DNA from a particular organism is

thymine, what percentage should be cytosine?

1. A) 15%
2. B) 30%
3. C) 35%
4. D) 40%
5. E) 70%

Answer: C

Section: 10.6, 10.7

9) In an analysis of the nucleotide composition of double-stranded DNA to see which

bases are equivalent in concentration, which of the following would be true?

1. A) A = C
2. B) A = G and C = T
3. C) A + C = G + T
4. D) A + T = G + C
5. E) A = G and C = T and A + C = G + T are both true.

Answer: C

Section: 10.6, 10.7

10) Is the accompanying figure DNA or RNA? ________ Is the arrow closest to the 5′ or
3′ end? ________ Spleen diesterase is an enzyme that breaks the covalent bond that
connects the phosphate to the 5′ carbon. Assume that the dinucleotide is digested with
spleen diesterase. To which base and to which carbon on the sugar is the phosphate
now attached, A or T?

1. A) DNA; 3′ end; T, 5′
2. B) RNA; 3′ end; A, 3′
3. C) DNA; 5′ end; A, 5′
4. D) DNA; 3′ end; A, 3′
5. E) RNA; 3′ end; T, 3′

Answer: D

Section: 10.5
11) Which of the following clusters of terms accurately describes DNA as it is generally
viewed to exist in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?

1. A) double-stranded, parallel, (A + T)/(C + G) = variable, (A + G)/(C + T) = 1.0

2. B) double-stranded, antiparallel, (A + T)/(C + G) = variable, (A + G)/(C+ T) = 1.0
3. C) single-stranded, antiparallel, (A + T)/(C + G) = 1.0, (A + G)/(C + T) = 1.0
4. D) double-stranded, parallel, (A + T)/(C + G) = 1.0, (A + G)/(C + T) = 1.0
5. E) double-stranded, antiparallel, (A + T)/(C + G) = variable, (A + G)/(C + T) =
variable

Answer: B

Section: 10.6, 10.7

12) Briefly define transformation and describe the relationship between the
phenomenon of transformation and the discovery that DNA is the genetic material in
bacteria.

Answer: Transformation is the process whereby one organism is genetically altered by

exposure to DNA from another organism. Since DNA can carry heritable “traits” from
one organism to another, it must be the genetic material.

Section: 10.3

13) Present an overview of two classical experiments that demonstrated that DNA is the
genetic material. Can RNA be the genetic material? Explain.

Answer: (1) Transformation in bacteria (Griffith through Avery et al.); see appropriate
figures in the Klug/Cummings text. (2) The Hershey and Chase experiment in
bacteriophage; see appropriate figures in the Klug/Cummings text. Yes, RNA can be the
genetic material as described for the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), retroviruses, and
many others.

Section: 10.3, 10.5

14) Describe four major functions of DNA in a cell.

Answer: replication = duplication of genetic material; expression = production of a

phenotype; storage = stable maintenance and passage of information; variation =
capable of alteration

Section: 10.1

15) Consider the structure of double-stranded DNA. When DNA is placed into distilled
water, it denatures; however, by adding NaCl, the DNA renatures. Why?

Answer: The negatively charged phosphates repel each other on the two sides of the
helix. In distilled water, these charges are not neutralized (by positively charged ions),
and the hydrogen bonds, which hold the double helix together, are broken. In the
presence of positive ions, such charges are neutralized.

Section: 10.10

16) If the GC content of a DNA molecule is 60%, what are the molar percentages of the
four bases (G, C, T, A)?

Answer: G = 30%, C = 30%, T = 20%, A = 20%

Section: 10.6, 10.7

17) Explain how and why the following circumstances influence characteristics of
temperature-induced DNA melting.

Percentage of GC base pairs

Urea (forms hydrogen bonds with bases)

Sodium chloride (neutralizes negatively charged phosphates)

Answer: GC pairs are composed of three hydrogen bonds and require more energy
(heat) to separate than do AT pairs. Urea competes for hydrogen bonds; thus, the
bases pair with the urea rather than with each other. This weakens the complementary
associations that are required to hold the DNA helix together; thus, less heat is required
for melting. The sodium of sodium chloride associates with and neutralizes the strong
negative charges on the phosphates. The phosphates do not repel each other with the
sodium ion present; thus, the double-stranded structure requires more energy to melt.

Section: 10.10

18) Assume that the molar percentage of thymine in a double-stranded DNA is 20. What
are the percentages of the four bases (G, C, T, A)? If the DNA is single-stranded, would
you change your answer?

Answer: G = 30%, C = 30%, T = 20%, A = 20%; yes, more than likely

Section: 10.6, 10.7

19) (a) Assume that A + T/G + C equals 0.5 in one strand of DNA. What is the ratio of
these bases in the complementary strand? (b) If A + G/T + C equals 0.5 in one strand,
what is the ratio of these bases in the complementary strand?

Answer: (a) 0.5 (b) 2.0

Section: 10.6, 10.7

20) The base content of a sample of DNA is as follows: A = 31%, G = 31%, T = 19%, C
= 19%. What conclusion can be drawn from this information?

Answer: The sample of DNA is single-stranded.

Section: 10.6, 10.7

21) What does it mean to say that double-stranded nucleic acids are antiparallel?

Answer: The C-5′ to C-3′ orientations run in opposite directions.

Section: 10.6, 10.7

22) List three forms of DNA.

Answer: A-DNA, B-DNA, and Z-DNA

Section: 10.8

23) Considering the Central Dogma of Molecular Genetics, what general property is
ascribed to DNA?

Answer: DNA makes RNA, which makes proteins

Section: 10.1

24) At what approximate wavelengths do DNA, RNA, and proteins maximally absorb
light?

Answer: 260 nm, 260 nm, and 280 nm, respectively

Section: 10.10

25) What was the Avery et al. (1944) contribution to the understanding of molecular
biology?

Answer: a demonstration that DNA is the genetic material in Diplococcus

Section: 10.3

26) All other factors being equal, the renaturation of the three classes of complementary
nucleic acid sequences occurs in what order, from fastest to slowest?
Answer: highly repetitive, moderately repetitive, unique sequences

Section: 10.10

27) List two major differences between RNA and DNA at the level of the nucleotide.

Answer: ribose in RNA, deoxyribose in DNA; uracil in RNA replaces thymine in DNA

Section: 10.5

28) Provide an overview of the structure of Z-DNA.

Answer: left-handed helix with two antiparallel complementary strands, 1.8 nm in

diameter, 12 bases per turn, zigzag configuration, and shallow major groove

Section: 10.8

29) In the 1860s, a Swiss chemist, Friedrick Miescher, isolated an acidic substance
from cell nuclei. What was the name of this substance, and what was its significance?

Answer: nuclein, contains DNA

Section: 10.2

30) Experiments conducted in the 1920s by Frederick Griffith involving the

bacterium Diplococcus pneumoniae demonstrated that a substance from one bacterial
strain could genetically transform other bacterial strains. What was the name of the
substance capable of such transformation, and who finally determined its identity?

Answer: deoxyribonucleic acid; Avery et al. (1944)

Section: 10.3

31) The strongest direct evidence that DNA is the genetic material comes from which
contemporary methodology?

Answer: recombinant DNA technology

Section: 10.4

32) Beatrice Mintz and others microinjected DNA into a fertilized mouse egg, which after
reaching maturity could be transmitted to the mouse’s offspring. What is the general
term used to describe an organism that incorporates foreign DNA?
Answer: transgenic

Section: 10.4

33) Name the pyrimidines and the purines in DNA.

Answer: pyrimidines: cytosine and thymine; purines: adenine and guanine

Section: 10.6, 10.7

34) What is the name of the precursor molecule used in nucleic acid synthesis?

Answer: triphosphonucleoside

Section: 10.6, 10.7

35) During the polymerization of nucleic acids, covalent bonds are formed between
neighboring nucleotides. Which carbons are involved in such bonds?

Answer: C-3′ and C-5′

Section: 10.6, 10.7

36) What is the difference between a polynucleotide and an oligonucleotide?

Answer: Polynucleotides are polymers longer than 20 nucleotides; oligonucleotides are

shorter than polynucleotides.

Section: 10.6

37) Is the accompanying figure DNA or RNA?

Is the circle closer to the 5′ or 3′ end?

Answer: RNA; 3′

Section: 10.5, 10.6, 10.7

38) Is the accompanying figure DNA or RNA?

Is the circle closer to the 5′ or 3′ end?

Answer: DNA; 5′

Section: 10.5, 10.6, 10.7

39) Suppose that the dinucleotide in the accompanying figure were cleaved with the
enzyme spleen diesterase, which breaks the covalent bond connecting the phosphate
to C-5′. After such cleavage, to which nucleoside is the phosphate now attached?

Answer: deoxyadenosine

Section: 10.6, 10.7

40) What is meant by the term antiparallel?

Answer: The two chains in a double-stranded nucleic acid are connected in opposite
directions in terms of 5’—3′ orientation.

Section: 10.6, 10.7

41) When and in which journal did Watson and Crick publish their now-famous paper
entitled “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic
Acid.”

Answer: 1953; Nature

Section: 10.7

42) In ribose, the 2′ C has an OH attached to it.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.5
43) DNA has no sulfur, and proteins have no phosphorus.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.3, 10.6

44) The transforming principle discovered by Griffith is RNA.

Answer: FALSE

Section: 10.3

45) G and C are present in both DNA and RNA.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.5, 10.6

46) Hershey and Chase used labeled DNA and protein to determine that DNA is the
genetic material in bacteria.

Answer: FALSE

Section: 10.3

47) Avery et al. (1944) determined that DNA is the genetic material in T2 bacteriophage.

Answer: FALSE

Section: 10.3

48) In 1953, Watson and Crick published a paper that described the structure of DNA.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.7

49) Deoxyribonuclease is an enzyme that adds 3′-hydroxyl groups to RNA.

Answer: FALSE

Section: 10.3
50) When considering the structure of DNA, we would say that complementary strands
are antiparallel.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.6, 10.7

51) In RNA, uracil is present instead of the thymine in DNA.

Answer: TRUE

Section: 10.5