DNA is the genetic material in all except certain viruses. In Prokaryotic cells, DNA occurs in the cytoplasm and is the only component of the chromosomes. Whereas, in Eukaryotic cells, DNA is largely confined to the nucleus. Do you know, A human DNA contains 3 billion chemical letters. Yes, it is true. There are several other amazing and fun facts about DNA that we don’t know.
Continue reading 11 Amazing Facts about DNA You didn’t Know.
In recent times, the people of India have been heard talking about gene sequencing, gene editing, gene sequencing, and many other similar terms. It seems like, they are now getting introduced to the idea and principle behind personal genomics. Continue reading Personal Genomics: Gene Sequencing & Analysis in India.
A most common and important source of genetic variability is known to be present uniformly throughout the genome is termed Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNPs. Interest in SNPs lies in the fact that these polymorphisms may be responsible for the differences in disease susceptibility, drug metabolism and response to environmental factors between individuals. Even, if they are not directly responsible for the disease, they serve as genetic markers for a nearby locus that might be responsible. Continue reading What are SNPs? Why are Scientists interested in them?
The discovery of DNA as the genetic material was one of the major achievements of science in the 20th century. This discovery made DNA, the chemical basis of heredity. It took almost 80 years for scientists to prove that DNA is the genetic material.
In 1869, Johann Friedrich Miescher, a young Swiss medical student, discovered an acidic substance that he isolated from pus cells obtained from bandages used to dress humans. He found it in the form of a mixture of compounds in the nucleus of the cell and named it “Nuclein”.
The nature of Nuclein was unusual as it contained large amounts of both nitrogen and phosphorous. At that time these two elements were coexisting only in certain types of fats. The discovery of Nuclein by Friedrich Meischer was quite early. Whereas it took a very long time to discover and prove that DNA is the genetic material.
By 1926, the quest to determine the mechanism for genetic material had reached the molecular level. In addition to this, different discoveries and findings further narrowed the search for the genetic material to the chromosome levels. But, the key genetic molecule was still missing from the research and findings.
In 1928, Fredrick Griffith, an English microbiologist, transformed nonpathogenic forms of Streptococcus pneumoniae into pathogenic forms by changing their physical forms. He accomplished this transformation through the following steps:
He injected mice with a mixture of heat-killed S strain (pathogenic) and live R strain (non-pathogenic) pneumococci. The mice died, and he recovered the live S strain of pneumococci from the blood of mice. That means heat-killed pathogenic strain transformed non-pathogenic live strain into pathogenic forms.He concluded that heat-killed virulent S strain transferred some “transforming principle” to the non-virulent R strain, which enabled it to become virulent. This must be due to the transfer of genetic material.
In 1931, Richard Sia and Martin Dawson performed the same experiment in vitro, showing the mice played no role in the transformation process.
For a very long time after the discovery of Nuclein, it was thought that proteins carry genetic information. Whereas, the nucleic acids were thought to have only structural functions. But somehow the search for the chemical identity of the transforming principle reached its climax in 1944.
In 1944, Oswald Avery, Colin Macleod, and Maclyn McCarty provided the first solid evidence of DNA as the genetic material. They were working on the transforming principle found in Griffith’s experiment.
They supported their evidence through the following observations:
Hence, they concluded that DNA is the genetic material and caused the transformation from heat-killed virulent bacteria to live non-virulent bacteria.
The second proof that DNA is the genetic material was provided in 1952 by the experiments of Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase. They worked with bacteriophage T2, a virus that infects the bacterium Escherichia coli. The T2 phage consists of a DNA core that is surrounded by a protein coat.
They labeled the nucleic acid part of the T2 phage with radioactive phosphorus and protein coat with radioactive sulfur. After that, they infected E. coli cells with labeled T2 phage. They found out that the radioactive phosphorus (nucleic acid part) remained in the cells, whereas the radioactive sulfur (protein part) was largely lost.
This showed that proteins did not enter the E.coli from the T2 phage. Therefore, it was DNA that was transferred from the T2 phage to E. coli.
Also Read: Why Nature Preferred DNA over RNA?
So, now we know that the Hershey-Chase experiment unequivocally resolved the debate that DNA is the genetic material. Thus, at last, the journey of genetic material from Nuclein to DNA came to an end and DNA is genetic material, became a fact. So that is all for now, meet you in my next article. Keep Reading, Keep Exploring, and Keep Sharing your Knowledge, and above all BE CURIOUS. 🙂
Also Read: 11 Amazing Facts about DNA You didn’t Know.
