If Adenine makes 30% of the DNA molecule, what will be the percentage of Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine in it ?
Correct Answer :
T : 30 ; G : 20 ; C : 20
Solution :
According to Chargaff's rules of base pairing in a double-stranded DNA molecule:
1. Adenine (A) always pairs with Thymine (T), which means the percentage of Adenine is equal to the percentage of Thymine ().
2. Guanine (G) always pairs with Cytosine (C), which means the percentage of Guanine is equal to the percentage of Cytosine ().
3. The sum of all four nitrogenous bases in a DNA molecule is 100% ().
Given that Adenine (A) makes up 30% of the DNA molecule:
Since , the percentage of Thymine (T) must also be 30%.
Now, we can find the combined percentage of Adenine and Thymine:
This leaves the remaining percentage for Guanine (G) and Cytosine (C):
Since , we divide the remaining 40% equally between Guanine and Cytosine:
Therefore, the percentages of the bases are:
Thymine (T) = 30%
Guanine (G) = 20%
Cytosine (C) = 20%
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