Session 201405 Week 5

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UDBB2203/UDBM2204 Molecular Biology
Tutorial 1


1. If one strand of DNA has the sequence AACCGTATATA, write the sequence of
the complementary strand using the standard convention.


2. DNA was extracted from cells of Staphylococcus and analyzed by based
composition. It was found that 45% of the bases are cytosine. Determine the
percentage of adenines in this DNA.


3. A stretch of double stranded DNA contains 8000 base pairs (bp), and its base
composition is 58% (G + C). How many adenine residues are in this region of
DNA?


4. RNA was extracted from tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles and found to
contain 30% cytosine. With this information, is it possible to predict what
percentage of the bases in TMV are adenines? If so, what percentage? If not, why
not?


5. The nucleic acids from various viruses were extracted and examined to determine
their base composition. Given the following results, what can you hypothesize
about the physical nature of the nucleic acids from these viruses?
(a) 40% A, 40% T, 10% G, and 10% C

(b) 35% A, 15% T, 25% G, and 25% C

(c) 35% A, 30% U, 30% G, and 5% C

6. A 41.5 nm-long duplex DNA molecule in the B-conformation adopts the A-
conformation upon dehydration.
(a) What is the approximate number of base pairs of this duplex DNA?


(b) How long is the DNA when it adopts the A-conformation?

7. A diploid nucleus of Drosophila melanogaster contains about 3.4 x 10
8
nucleotide
pairs. Assume (1) that the entire nuclear DNA is packaged in nucleosomes and (2)
that an average internucleosome linker DNA is 60 nucleotide pairs,
(a) how many nucleosomes would be present in a diploid nucleus of D.
melanogaster.

Session 201405 Week 5
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(b) how many molecules of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 would be
required?


8. A duplex DNA molecule of B-form has the length of 50 m.

(a) What is its approximate number of base pairs?

(b) Upon dehydration this B-form DNA adopts an A-conformation. How long
is it now in m?

(c) Assume that the entire DNA is packaged in nucleosomes and an average
linker DNA is 60 nucleotide base-pairs. How many nucleosomes would be
present? How many molecules of each histone H2A, H2B, H3 and H4
would be required?


9. Explain why the melting temperature of a sample of double-helical DNA
increases when the Na
2+
concentration increases.


10. What might you find in comparing the GC content of DNA from Thermus
aquaticus and DNA from bacteria in a typical backyard pond? Explain your
answer.


11. A previously undiscovered single-celled organism was found living at a great
depth on the ocean floor. Its nucleus contained only a single linear chromosome
containing 6 x 10
6
base pairs of DNA coalesced with three types of histone-like
proteins.
(a) A short micrococcal nuclease digestion on this single linear chromosome
yielded DNA fractions consisting of 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 base pairs
in length. Predict what these fractions represent. What conclusion can be
drawn with regard to the nuclease digestion?

(b) The analysis of the individual nucleosome revealed that each unit
contained one copy of each protein, and that the short linker DNA
contained no protein bound to it. If the entire chromosome consists of
nucleosomes (discounting any linker DNA),

(i) how many nucleosomes are there?


(ii) how many proteins are needed to form them?