NEETZoologyMolecular Basis of Inheritance
What was the first organism in which semiconservative DNA replication was proven?
Options
- AEscherichia coli
- BPlants
- CHuman cells
- DNone of the above
Correct answer
A. Escherichia coli
Step-by-step solution
It is now proved that DNA replicates semiconservatively. It was shown first in Escherichia coli and subsequently in higher organisms, such as plants and human cells. Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl performed the following experiment in 1958: (i) They grew E. coli in a medium containing 15NH4Cl (15N is the heavy isotope of nitrogen) as the only nitrogen source for many generations. The result was that 15N was incorporated into newly synthesized DNA (as well as other nitrogen containing compounds). This heavy DNA