NEETBotanyCell - The Unit of Life
What is the sedimentation coefficient (S) in Svedberg's Unit used to measure?
Options
- AThe color of ribosomes
- BThe density of ribosomes
- CThe amount of RNA in ribosomes
- DThe shape of ribosomes
Correct answer
B. The density of ribosomes
Step-by-step solution
The eukaryotic ribosomes are 80S while the prokaryotic ribosomes are 70S. Each ribosome has two subunits, larger and smaller subunits. The two subunits of 80S ribosomes are 60S and 40S while that of 70S ribosomes are 50S and 30S . Here ‘S’ (Svedberg’s Unit) stands for the sedimentation coefficient; it is indirectly a measure of density and size. Both 70S and 80S ribosomes are composed of two subunits.