This biology question covers important biological concepts and processes. The step-by-step explanation below helps you understand the underlying mechanisms and reasoning.
ScanSolve AI Answer
To solve this problem, we need to calculate the number of phosphodiester bonds and hydrogen bonds separately. Step 1: Calculate the total number of phosphodiester bonds. A dsDNA molecule with 100 base pairs means it has two strands, and each strand contains 100 nucleotides. In a linear DNA strand with n nucleotides, there are n-1 phosphodiester bonds. For each strand: Number of phosphodiester bonds per strand = 100 - 1 = 99 bonds. Since there are two strands in a dsDNA molecule: Total phosphodiester bonds = 99 (strand 1) + 99 (strand 2) = 198 bonds. Step 2: Calculate the total number of hydrogen bonds. The dsDNA molecule has 100 base pairs, which means a total of 100 × 2 = 200 bases. We are given that 40% of the bases are Guanine (G). Number of Guanine (G) bases = 0.40 × 200 = 80 bases. According to Chargaff's rules, in dsDNA, the number of Guanine (G) bases equals the number of Cytosine (C) bases. Number of Cytosine (C) bases = 80 bases. Total G and C bases = 80 + 80 = 160 bases. The remaining bases are Adenine (A) and Thymine (T). Number of A and T bases = Total bases - (G + C) bases = 200 - 160 = 40 bases. Since the number of Adenine (A) bases equals the number of Thymine (T) bases: Number of Adenine (A) bases = 40 / 2 = 20 bases. Number of Thymine (T) bases = 40 / 2 = 20 bases. Now, we calculate the hydrogen bonds: • Guanine (G) forms 3 hydrogen bonds with Cytosine (C). • Adenine (A) forms 2 hydrogen bonds with Thymine (T). Hydrogen bonds from G-C pairs = Number of G bases × 3 = 80 × 3 = 240 hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds from A-T pairs = Number of A bases × 2 = 20 × 2 = 40 hydrogen bonds. Total hydrogen bonds = 240 + 40 = 280 hydrogen bonds. Therefore, the total number of phosphodiester bonds is 198, and the total number of hydrogen bonds is 280. Comparing this with the given options: A) 198 and 280 B) 198 and 240 C) 200 and 280 D) 200 and 240 The correct option is A. The final answer is A) 198 and 280