Question

Answer the following considering Chargaff's rules. Suppose a 100-base-pair, double-stranded DNA molecule consists of 50% of guanine bases. How many total hydrogen bonds are holding the two strands together?

Answer 1

250 H bonds

Step-by-step explanation:

The Chargaff rule states that a DNA molecule has the following features-

1. Purine binds pyrimidines through hydrogen bond

2. The sum of purine and pyrimidine is equal to 1.

3. Adenine binds thymine always (involve two H bonds)

4. Guanine binds cytosine (involves three H bonds)

In the given question,

guanine bases- 50, therefore, cytosine bases will be 50

H bond will be 50 x 3 = 150 bonds

Similarly,

Adenine bases will be 50 equal thymine which will also be 50

double H bond will be - 50 x 2= 100

Total H bond will be- 250 H bonds.

Thus, 250 H bonds are the correct answer.