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approximately how much dna is found inside the nucleus of a typical human cell if it were unwound and stretched end to end

User Monika Reddy
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1 Answer

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21 votes

Answer:

2 meters (3 Gb of base pairs)

Step-by-step explanation:

The human genome is composed of 3 billion (3 Gb) base pairs, which are organized in 23 pairs of chromosomes. Within the nucleus, DNA is compacted by histone proteins to form nucleosomes and these structures are then organized in chromatin fibers that undergone higher-order compaction. The compaction of chromatin fibers is accomplished by proteins and Matrix attachment DNA regions (MARs) that bind specifically to the nuclear matrix. In an unwound state, each cell nucleus in the human body has approximately 2 meters of DNA (if the DNA molecule would be stretched end-to-end).

User Alex Myers
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