Question

Which of the following statements about Base Pairing are true?

I. The Adenine-Thymine and Cytosine-Guanine pairing is referred to as Watson-Crick base pairing
II. There is also "Wobble Base Pairing", where two nucleotides that are not part of the Watson-Crick Base Pairing can pair.
III. There are instances where DNA can undergo Wobble Base Pairing.

(A) I only
(B) I and II only
(C) I and III only
(D) I, II and III

Answer 1

Statement I is correct in describing the Watson-Crick base pairing rules for DNA. Statement II is accurate but more relevant to RNA and protein synthesis where Wobble Base Pairing takes place.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fundamental concept of base pairing in DNA is that adenine (A) forms base pairs with thymine (T) and guanine (G) forms base pairs with cytosine (C), which is known as Watson-Crick base pairing. This is in line with Chargaff's rules and is essential for the stability and replication of DNA. Additionally, while Wobble Base Pairing does exist, it primarily occurs in the pairing of codons and anticodons during the process of protein synthesis in RNA, and not typically in DNA. Wobble pairing allows for a less rigorous pairing where for example, inosine (I) in tRNA can pair with U, C, or A in mRNA. Statement I is accurate and aligns with the Watson-Crick model, and Statement II is true in the context of RNA.