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Chapter 9: Problem 7

Does the design of the Hershey-Chase experiment distinguish between DNA and RNA as the molecule serving as the genetic material? Why or why not?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: No, the design of the Hershey-Chase experiment does not directly distinguish between DNA and RNA as the genetic material. The experiment successfully demonstrated that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material in bacteriophages but did not specifically compare DNA and RNA.

Step by step solution

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1. Understanding Hershey-Chase Experiment

The Hershey-Chase experiment, conducted in 1952 by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase, aimed to prove whether genetic information in viruses was stored in DNA or protein. In the experiment, they used T2 bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) which are made up of an outer protein coat and a DNA core.
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2. Experiment Design

Hershey and Chase labeled the protein coat of the T2 bacteriophage with radioactive sulfur (S35) and the DNA core with radioactive phosphorus (P32). They then allowed these labeled viruses to infect E. coli bacteria. After the viruses had infected the bacteria, they were separated from the bacteria using a blender and centrifugation. The researchers then analyzed the presence of radioactivity in the bacterial cells and the surrounding medium, which contained the viral protein coats.
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3. Results of the Experiment

The Hershey-Chase experiment results showed that the radioactive phosphorus (P32), which was exclusively present in the DNA, was detected within the bacterial cells, while the radioactive sulfur (S35), which had been in the protein coat, was primarily found in the surrounding medium.
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4. Interpretation of the Results & Design Limitation

The results of the Hershey-Chase experiment established that the genetic material of the T2 bacteriophage was its DNA, and not the protein. However, the experiment only tested whether DNA or protein is the genetic material in the T2 bacteriophage. The design of the experiment does not allow for a direct investigation of RNA as the genetic material, as the bacteriophages used in the experiment primarily contained DNA rather than RNA.
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5. Conclusion

While the Hershey-Chase experiment successfully demonstrated that DNA is the genetic material in bacteriophages, it did not specifically distinguish or compare DNA and RNA as genetic materials. The experiment only disproved the role of protein in being the genetic material and, by consequence, established the role of DNA. Different experimental designs and further research were needed to demonstrate the role of RNA as the genetic material in certain viruses (i.e., RNA viruses).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Newsdate: March \(1,2030 .\) A unique creature has been discovered during exploration of outer space. Recently, its genetic material has been isolated and analyzed, and has been found to be similar in some ways to DNA in chemical makeup. It contains in abundance the 4 -carbon sugar erythrose and a molar equivalent of phosphate groups. In addition, it contains six nitrogenous bases: adenine(A), guanine(G), thymine(T), cytosine (C), hypoxanthine (H), and xanthine (X). These bases exist in the following relative proportion: \(A=T=H \quad\) and \(\quad C=G=X\) X-ray diffraction studies have established a regularity in the molecule and a constant diameter of about \(30 \AA\). Together, these data have suggested a model for the structure of this molecule. (a) Propose a general model of this molecule, and briefly describe it. (b) What base-pairing properties must exist for \(\mathrm{H}\) and for \(\mathrm{X}\) in the model? (c) Given the constant diameter of \(30 \AA\), do you think either (i) both \(\mathrm{H}\) and \(\mathrm{X}\) are purines or both pyrimidines, or (ii) one is a purine and one is a pyrimidine?

Draw the chemical structure of the three components of a nucleo- tide, and then link them together. What atoms are removed from the structures when the linkages are formed?

What is the chemical basis of molecular hybridization?

What is the physical state of DNA after being denatured by heat?

List three main differences between DNA and RNA.
See all solutions

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