8. DNA Replication
Overview of DNA Replication
5:40 minutes
Problem 36
Textbook Question
Textbook QuestionSuppose that future exploration of polar ice on Mars identifies a living microbe and that analysis indicates the organism carries double-stranded DNA as its genetic material. Suppose further that DNA replication analysis is performed by first growing the microbe in a growth medium containing the heavy isotope of nitrogen (¹⁴N) that the organism is then transferred to a growth medium containing the light isotope of nitrogen (¹⁴N) and that the nitrogen composition of the DNA is examined by CsCl ultracentrifugation and densitometry after the first, second, and third replication cycles in the ¹⁴N-containing medium. The results of the experiment are illustrated here for each cycle. The control shows the positioning of the three possible DNA densities. Based on the results shown, what can you conclude about the mechanism of DNA replication in this organism? (Hint: See the description of the Meselson and Stahl experiment on Section 6.1)
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