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What are two significant findings that resulted from the research of Beadle and Tatum?

User Eleco
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Final answer:

The significant findings from Beadle and Tatum's research include the formulation of the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis and the correlation of individual genes with specific enzymes, key contributions that underpin molecular genetics.

Step-by-step explanation:

Two significant findings that resulted from the research of George Beadle and Edward Tatum include the discovery of the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis and the identification of specific genes responsible for particular biochemical pathways, illustrated through their experiments with arginine mutants in Neurospora crassa. Their groundbreaking work, published in the 1940s, demonstrated that a single gene controlled the production of a single enzyme, which in turn affects individual steps in metabolic pathways. They used X-ray induced mutations in the mold to cause defects in enzymes required for biosynthesis of essential molecules like amino acids, and mapped those defects back to specific genes. These discoveries helped lay the foundation for molecular genetics and earned Beadle and Tatum the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1958.

User Matan Shushan
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