Question

The human genome contains 3.4×109 base pairs. The length of linker DNA in mammals is 50 base pairs. Approximately how many nucleosomes are required to organize the 10-nm-fiber structure of the genome?

Answer 1

Answer:

1.7 x 107 nucleosomes.

Explanation:

The number of nucleosomes can be calculated by the following formula:

Nucleosomes = Genome size/ total number of base pairs.

Here, the genome size is 3.4×109.

Total number of base pair = number of base pairs in nucleosome core particle + linker DNA.

Total number of base pair = 146 + 50 = 196.

Number of nucleosome = 3.4×109 / 196.

Number of nucleosome = 1.7 x 107 nucleosomes.

Thus, the answer is 1.7 x 107 nucleosomes.