Chapter 23, Problem 86A

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The percentage of the size of the human genome should be calculated which is represented by E.coli DNA.

Concept introduction:

Nucleic acids are large biomolecules or biopolymers which are essential to different forms of file. Two major types of nucleic acid which are found in living organisms are: DNA and RNA.

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid which contains five carbon sugar, a nitrogen base and a phosphate group. It stores the biological information or gene information in a sequence of four bases of nucleic acid: Adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine. DNA has a structure of double helix. It also stores the replicate genetic information.

Answer to Problem 86A

The percentage of the size of the human genome which is represented by E.coli DNA = $0.14\%$

Explanation of Solution

A cell of bacterium E.coli = $4.2\times {10}^6$ base pairs of DNA

Human cell = $3\times {10}^9$ base pairs of DNA

Percentage of the size of the human genome represented by E.coli DNA is calculated by dividing by the number of base pairs of DNA in E.coli to the total number of base pairs in human cell.

Percentage of size of the human genome represented by E.coli DNA

= $\frac{4.2\times {10}^6\text{ base pairs}}{3\times {10}^9\text{ base pairs}}\times 100$

= $0.14\%$

Therefore, the percentage of size of the human genome = 0.14 %.