Question

A biochemist is analyzing an aqueous solution of a pure unidentified macromolecule that she isolated from the cytosolic fraction of plant cells. After adding an enzyme that catalyzes the breaking of phosphodiester bonds, she observes that the macromolecule disappears. What is the most likely explanation?

Answer 1

The unidentified macromolecule was likely DNA or RNA, which consist of nucleotides linked by phosphodiester bonds. The enzyme added was likely a nuclease, leading to hydrolysis and degradation of the nucleic acid.

Step-by-step explanation:

The biochemist in the question observed that after adding an enzyme that breaks phosphodiester bonds, an unidentified macromolecule in an aqueous solution disappeared. The most likely explanation is that the macromolecule was either DNA or RNA, both of which consist of nucleotides connected by phosphodiester bonds. The addition of the enzyme, possibly a nuclease like DNAse or RNAse, catalyzed a hydrolysis reaction that led to the degradation of the nucleic acid into monomers, effectively causing the disappearance of the macromolecule.