MCB 3020 Exam Questions with
Complete Solutions
What is the transforming principle of inheritance - Answer-Hypothesized that material
from dead streptococci can genetically transform living streptococci; Found that a
biochemical component from the virulent S strain had transformed the R-Strain into a
more virulent S Strain
Fredrick Griffith - Answer-Transforming Principle Conducted out the mouse experiment
Oswald Avery - Answer-Discovered that the nucleic acid in DNA stores and transmits
genetic information from one generation of bacteria to the next.; found that genetic
material responsible for the transforming principle is DNA
Genome in eukaryotes - Answer-DNA --> Chromosomes (n=23) --> Genome
What is Genome - Answer-All the genetic material contained within a given organism &
which defines a species
genome of prokaryotes - Answer-single long DNA molecule; DNA chromosome and
sometimes plasmid
What is the bacterial genome range - Answer-600kbp to 10 Mbp (Smallest belong to
mycoplasma spp.)
What is the human genome range compared to E.Coli - Answer-The human genome is
1000x that of E.Coli but it only has 8x the number of genes (AKA smaller ratio)
What percentage of prokaryotic genome consitute as non-coding DNA - Answer-15%
Whats non-coding DNA - Answer-DNA sequences that do not code for protein
What percentage of human genome constitute as non-coding DNA - Answer-90%
What is the makeup of the prokaryotic genome and name the exceptions - Answer-
Prokaryotic genomes consist of a single (rarely multiple) DNA chromosome—mostly
circularized chromosome
Exceptions include:
-Brucella melitensis (2 circular)
-Rhodobacter sphaeroides (2 circular)
-Vibrio cholerae (2 circular)
-Prevotella intermedia (2 circular)
, -Agrobacterium tumafaciens (1 linear + 1 circular)
-Paracoccus denitrificans (3 circular)
What are specialist prokaryotes and what is their relative size of their Genome -
Answer-Have restricted ecological niches. These tend to be fastidious or obligately
intracellular. Tend to have smaller genomes (<1.5 Mb)
What is the relative size of generalists genomes - Answer-Generalists possess larger
genomes----have broad metabolic potential
Who is Rosalind Franklin and what is her relationship to Crick and Watson? - Answer-
Watson and Crick's assistant who actually discovered that DNA was double helix, from
the x-rays; Rosalind's X-ray diffraction research was suspiciously acquired by James
and Francis to assemble the tertiary structure of B-DNA
What is DNA - Answer-deoxyribonucleic acid is a biopolymer of nucleotides forming a
double helix
What is each DNA nucleotide composed of? - Answer-(I) A nitrogenous base
Purine = Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)
Pyrimidine = Cytosine (C) and Thymine
(II) A deoxyribose sugar
(III) A triphosphate residue
How are nucleotides linked? - Answer-phosphodiester bonds
Where is each part of the nucleotide attached on the sugar in DNA? - Answer-The
nitrogenous base is attached to C1
C2 is reduced (-H functional group, or "deoxy")
Polymerization & phosphodiester bond formation involves the C5 and C3 residues! AKA
C5 is where the phosphate group binds to the sugar
In what direction does polymerization occur - Answer-5'-to- 3' orientation w/ covalent,
phosphodiester bond formation
Polymerization of two DNA strands is - Answer-antiparallel
What makes the backbone of DNA? - Answer-Phosphodiester bonds & sugar form the
hydrophilic anionic "backbone" of DNA
Complete Solutions
What is the transforming principle of inheritance - Answer-Hypothesized that material
from dead streptococci can genetically transform living streptococci; Found that a
biochemical component from the virulent S strain had transformed the R-Strain into a
more virulent S Strain
Fredrick Griffith - Answer-Transforming Principle Conducted out the mouse experiment
Oswald Avery - Answer-Discovered that the nucleic acid in DNA stores and transmits
genetic information from one generation of bacteria to the next.; found that genetic
material responsible for the transforming principle is DNA
Genome in eukaryotes - Answer-DNA --> Chromosomes (n=23) --> Genome
What is Genome - Answer-All the genetic material contained within a given organism &
which defines a species
genome of prokaryotes - Answer-single long DNA molecule; DNA chromosome and
sometimes plasmid
What is the bacterial genome range - Answer-600kbp to 10 Mbp (Smallest belong to
mycoplasma spp.)
What is the human genome range compared to E.Coli - Answer-The human genome is
1000x that of E.Coli but it only has 8x the number of genes (AKA smaller ratio)
What percentage of prokaryotic genome consitute as non-coding DNA - Answer-15%
Whats non-coding DNA - Answer-DNA sequences that do not code for protein
What percentage of human genome constitute as non-coding DNA - Answer-90%
What is the makeup of the prokaryotic genome and name the exceptions - Answer-
Prokaryotic genomes consist of a single (rarely multiple) DNA chromosome—mostly
circularized chromosome
Exceptions include:
-Brucella melitensis (2 circular)
-Rhodobacter sphaeroides (2 circular)
-Vibrio cholerae (2 circular)
-Prevotella intermedia (2 circular)
, -Agrobacterium tumafaciens (1 linear + 1 circular)
-Paracoccus denitrificans (3 circular)
What are specialist prokaryotes and what is their relative size of their Genome -
Answer-Have restricted ecological niches. These tend to be fastidious or obligately
intracellular. Tend to have smaller genomes (<1.5 Mb)
What is the relative size of generalists genomes - Answer-Generalists possess larger
genomes----have broad metabolic potential
Who is Rosalind Franklin and what is her relationship to Crick and Watson? - Answer-
Watson and Crick's assistant who actually discovered that DNA was double helix, from
the x-rays; Rosalind's X-ray diffraction research was suspiciously acquired by James
and Francis to assemble the tertiary structure of B-DNA
What is DNA - Answer-deoxyribonucleic acid is a biopolymer of nucleotides forming a
double helix
What is each DNA nucleotide composed of? - Answer-(I) A nitrogenous base
Purine = Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)
Pyrimidine = Cytosine (C) and Thymine
(II) A deoxyribose sugar
(III) A triphosphate residue
How are nucleotides linked? - Answer-phosphodiester bonds
Where is each part of the nucleotide attached on the sugar in DNA? - Answer-The
nitrogenous base is attached to C1
C2 is reduced (-H functional group, or "deoxy")
Polymerization & phosphodiester bond formation involves the C5 and C3 residues! AKA
C5 is where the phosphate group binds to the sugar
In what direction does polymerization occur - Answer-5'-to- 3' orientation w/ covalent,
phosphodiester bond formation
Polymerization of two DNA strands is - Answer-antiparallel
What makes the backbone of DNA? - Answer-Phosphodiester bonds & sugar form the
hydrophilic anionic "backbone" of DNA
