Question

Dna has unique properties that allow it to accurately retain genetic information, even after multiple rounds of replication. one aspect of dna that allows it to accurately store genetic information is the base pairing from chargaff\'s first rule of the four nucleotide bases. if the c content of a dna molecule is 16%, what are the percentages of the remaining bases?

Answer 1

Accoring to the Chargaff's first rule of base pairing, each of the four nucleotide bases has its own complimentary match, that it always bids with.
So, Adenine always bonds with Thymine and Cytosine always binds with Guanine.
If you know the concentration of one base, in our case Cytosine, then you can easily calculate the percentage of other bases.
Since Cytosine and Thymine are always paired, there is an equal amount of both of them -16%.
So, 16% C + 16G = 32% of the whole DNA.
This means that the other two base pairs A and T make up to 68% of the DNA.
Half of the 68% is Adenine = 34% and half of it is Thymine- 34%.
So, the percentages of base pairs in the DNA sequence are :
16% C
16% G
34 % A
34 % T