In: Biology
Bacteria and other microbes can be used to "clean up" an oil spill by breaking down oil into carbon dioxide and water. Two samples isolated from the Deepwater Horizon leak in the Gulf of Mexico were labeled A and B. The DNA of each was isolated and the percent thymine measured in each sample. Sample A contains 18.7 % thymine and sample B contains 27.9 % thymine. Assume the organisms contain normal double‑stranded DNA and predict the composition of the other bases.
The two chains of a double helix of DNA have an anti-parallel polarity and the nitrogen bases in the two strands are joined through hydrogen bonds which form the base pairs. Adenine of one strand has two hydrogen bonding with Thymine from the opposite strand and vice-versa. Similarly, Guanine has three hydrogen bonding with Cytosine. As a result, a purine always lies opposite to a pyrimidine.
The base pairing is drawn as shown below:
Find the composition of the bases as shown below:-
Sample-A
Therefore, the composition of different bases in sample-A is-
Sample-B
Therefore, the composition of different bases in sample-A is-