Problem Set 4: DNA and RNA
Due: Saturday, 18 March 2023, 5:30 PM
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General Instructions
- This is a group activity.Β
- Answer the problems shown below.
- Submit your answers in pdf/jpg formats only following the naming, Chem40_PS4_<Section>_<Group No.>
- Only one submission per group is needed.Β
Problems
- What is the structural difference between ATP and dATP?
- Give the sequence on the opposite strand for pACGTAT, AGATCTp and pATGGTA. Indicate directionality. Are these sequences part of DNA or RNA?
- In what naturally occurring nucleic acids would you expect to find A-form, B-form, Z-form helices, nucleosomes, and circular DNA?
- One of the original structures proposed for DNA had all the phosphate groups positioned at the center of a long fiber. Give a reason why this proposal was rejected.
- Why does DNA with a high A-T content have a lower melting temperature (Tm) than DNA with a high G-C content? Melting temperature means the temperature at which the DNA strands separate.
- Would you expect tRNA or mRNA to be more extensively H bonded? Why?
- Would you expect mRNA or rRNA to be degraded more quickly in the cell? Why?
- Which would be more harmful to the cell, a mutation in DNA or a transcription mistake that leads to an incorrect mRNA? Why?
Questions for fun (not required, if youβre only interested):
- What do you think are the legal and ethical considerations involved in human gene therapy?
- A biomedical company talked about a future in which every individual would have a card that told his or her complete genotype. What would be some advantages and disadvantages of this?
- What can you say about the nature vs nurture concept? You can check out the movies, Gattaca (1997) and The Boys from Brazil (1976)