If a double-stranded DNA molecule undergoes three rounds of semiconservative replication, what proportion of the resulting DNA molecules would contain at least one strand from the... If a double-stranded DNA molecule undergoes three rounds of semiconservative replication, what proportion of the resulting DNA molecules would contain at least one strand from the original molecule?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about DNA replication and the proportion of DNA molecules that contain at least one of the original strands after three rounds of replication. DNA replication is semiconservative, meaning each new DNA molecule consists of one original strand and one newly synthesized strand. We need to determine how the original strands are distributed after three rounds.
Answer
1/4 of the resulting DNA molecules would contain at least one strand from the original molecule.
Following three rounds of semiconservative replication, 2 out of 8 DNA molecules will contain at least one strand from the original molecule. Therefore, the proportion is 2/8 or 1/4.
Answer for screen readers
Following three rounds of semiconservative replication, 2 out of 8 DNA molecules will contain at least one strand from the original molecule. Therefore, the proportion is 2/8 or 1/4.
More Information
Semiconservative replication means that each new DNA molecule consists of one original strand and one newly synthesized strand. After each replication round, the number of DNA molecules doubles, but the original strands remain only in the first two copies.
Tips
A common mistake is to think that each new DNA molecule will contain a portion of the original DNA. However, only the two DNA molecules that directly descend from the original molecule will contain an original strand.
Sources
- Semiconservative Replication - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics - sciencedirect.com
- DNA structure and replication review (article) - Khan Academy - khanacademy.org
- DNA replication and % of original DNA | Student Doctor Network - forums.studentdoctor.net
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