Molecular Basis of Inheritance – 60 Q&A
Structure of DNA & Nucleotides
1. Q: What are the three components of a nucleotide?
A: A nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar (deoxyribose in DNA or ribose in RNA), and a phosphate group.
2. Q: Name the two types of nitrogenous bases with examples.
A: (i) Purines – Adenine, Guanine; (ii) Pyrimidines – Cytosine, Thymine (DNA), Uracil (RNA).
3. Q: Differentiate between a nucleoside and a nucleotide.
A: A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base + sugar, while a nucleotide consists of base + sugar + phosphate
group.
4. Q: What type of linkage joins a nitrogenous base to sugar?
A: N-glycosidic linkage at the 1′ carbon of the sugar.
5. Q: What type of bond links phosphate to sugar in a nucleotide?
A: Phosphoester linkage at the 5′ carbon of sugar.
6. Q: How are two nucleotides joined in a polynucleotide chain?
A: By a 3′–5′ phosphodiester bond.
7. Q: What is meant by the 5′ end and 3′ end of a polynucleotide chain?
A: The 5′ end has a free phosphate group, and the 3′ end has a free hydroxyl group.
8. Q: Why is the distance between the two strands of DNA uniform?
A: Because a purine (large base) always pairs with a pyrimidine (small base), maintaining equal spacing.
---
Discovery & Double Helix Model
9. Q: Who first identified DNA and what name was given?
A: Friedrich Miescher in 1869, who named it “nuclein.”
10. Q: Who proposed the Double Helix model of DNA and in which year?
A: James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
11. Q: Which scientist’s observation formed the basis of base pairing rule?
A: Erwin Chargaff.
12. Q: State Chargaff’s rule.
A: In double-stranded DNA, A = T and G = C, i.e., purines equal pyrimidines.
13. Q: What is the polarity of the two DNA strands?
A: They are antiparallel; one runs 5′→3′ and the other 3′→5′.
14. Q: How many hydrogen bonds exist between A-T and G-C pairs?
A: A–T has 2 H-bonds, G–C has 3 H-bonds.
15. Q: What is the pitch of DNA helix and how many base pairs per turn?
A: Pitch = 3.4 nm, with ~10 base pairs per turn.
16. Q: What is the distance between two consecutive base pairs in DNA?
A: 0.34 nm.
17. Q: What stabilizes the DNA double helix structure apart from H-bonds?
A: Base stacking interactions (hydrophobic interactions between stacked bases).
18. Q: State the central dogma of molecular biology.
A: Genetic information flows from DNA → RNA → Protein.
---
Search for Genetic Material
19. Q: Which scientist demonstrated the “transforming principle”?
A: Frederick Griffith in 1928.
20. Q: Describe Griffith’s experiment briefly.
A: He injected mice with smooth (S) and rough (R) strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Heat-killed S strain
with live R strain transformed R into virulent S, suggesting transfer of genetic material.
21. Q: What was the key conclusion of Griffith’s experiment?
A: Some “transforming principle” from dead S strain converted R strain into virulent S.
22. Q: Who identified DNA as the transforming principle?
A: Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty (1933–44).
23. Q: What enzymes were used by Avery and colleagues to confirm DNA is genetic material?
A: Protease, RNase, and DNase.
24. Q: What was the role of DNase in Avery’s experiment?
A: DNase destroyed DNA and prevented transformation, proving DNA is the genetic material.
25. Q: Which scientists provided final proof that DNA is genetic material?
A: Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase in 1952.
26. Q: Which organism and virus were used in Hershey-Chase experiment?
A: Escherichia coli bacteria and T2 bacteriophage.
27. Q: How did Hershey and Chase label DNA and protein of phages?
A: DNA with radioactive phosphorus (³²P), protein with radioactive sulfur (³⁵S).
28. Q: What was the conclusion of Hershey-Chase experiment?
A: Only DNA entered bacterial cells, hence DNA is the genetic material.
---
Properties of Genetic Material
29. Q: List four essential properties of genetic material.
A: (i) Replication ability, (ii) Stability, (iii) Mutation for evolution, (iv) Expression of traits.
30. Q: Why is DNA more stable than RNA?
A: DNA lacks 2′-OH group (less reactive), contains thymine instead of uracil, and is double-stranded, providing
structural stability.
31. Q: Why is RNA considered less stable than DNA?
A: Presence of 2′-OH group makes RNA more reactive and easily degradable.
32. Q: Which type of viruses mutate faster – RNA or DNA viruses? Why?
A: RNA viruses mutate faster due to instability and higher error rate during replication.
33. Q: Can RNA act as genetic material? Give examples.
A: Yes, in some viruses like Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and QB bacteriophage.
---
RNA World Hypothesis
34. Q: What is meant by “RNA World”?
A: A hypothesis that RNA was the first genetic material which acted both as genetic material and as a catalyst.
35. Q: Why did DNA evolve from RNA as the primary genetic material?
A: Because DNA is more chemically stable and less reactive compared to RNA.
36. Q: What evidence supports the RNA World hypothesis?
A: Some essential processes like splicing, protein synthesis, and ribozyme activity are catalyzed by RNA.
---
DNA Replication
37. Q: Who proposed the semiconservative model of DNA replication?
A: Watson and Crick (1953).
38. Q: What is meant by semiconservative replication?
A: Each daughter DNA has one parental strand and one newly synthesized strand.
39. Q: Who experimentally proved semiconservative replication?
A: Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl in 1958.
40. Q: What isotope did Meselson and Stahl use in their experiment?
A: Heavy nitrogen isotope (¹⁵N).
41. Q: How did Meselson and Stahl distinguish DNA with ¹⁵N and ¹⁴N?
A: By centrifugation in cesium chloride (CsCl) density gradient.
42. Q: What result was observed after one generation in ¹⁴N medium?
A: Hybrid DNA (one strand heavy, one strand light).
43. Q: What result was observed after two generations in ¹⁴N medium?
A: 50% hybrid DNA and 50% light DNA.
44. Q: Which plant was used by Taylor to confirm semiconservative replication?
A: Vicia faba (faba bean).
---
Enzymes of DNA Replication
45. Q: Which enzyme catalyzes DNA polymerization?
A: DNA-dependent DNA polymerase.
46. Q: In which direction does DNA polymerase synthesize new DNA?
A: In the 5′→3′ direction.
47. Q: Why is DNA replication highly accurate?
A: Due to proofreading ability of DNA polymerases.
48. Q: What provides energy for DNA replication?
A: Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dATP, dGTP, dCTP, dTTP).
49. Q: What is a replication fork?
A: A small opening in the DNA helix where replication occurs.
50. Q: What is the average rate of DNA polymerization in E. coli?
A: ~2000 base pairs per second.
51. Q: How long does E. coli take to replicate its DNA?
A: About 18 minutes.
52. Q: What prevents the entire DNA from unwinding at once during replication?
A: Very high energy requirement, so unwinding occurs only locally at replication forks.
---
Comparison of DNA & RNA
53. Q: Give two structural differences between DNA and RNA.
A: DNA has deoxyribose sugar and thymine; RNA has ribose sugar and uracil.
54. Q: Which is more stable – DNA or RNA? Why?
A: DNA, because it is double-stranded, lacks 2′-OH, and has thymine instead of uracil.
55. Q: Why is RNA more suitable for catalytic functions?
A: RNA can fold into complex 3D structures and act as ribozymes.
56. Q: Why is DNA preferred for storage of genetic information?
A: Due to its high stability and low mutation rate compared to RNA.
---
Additional Conceptual Questions
57. Q: What ensures uniform width of DNA double helix?
A: Pairing of one purine with one pyrimidine.
58. Q: Why is thymine more stable than uracil in DNA?
A: Thymine reduces mutation rate and provides repair advantage.
59. Q: Why is DNA replication described as “energy expensive”?
A: It requires large amounts of nucleoside triphosphates and multiple enzymes.
60. Q: How does base complementarity ensure faithful DNA replication?
A: Each base can only pair with its complement (A–T, G–C), ensuring accurate copying.
