Read the following statements regarding the packaging of DNA helix and choose the set of correct statements: (a) In E. coli , DNA is not scattered throughout the cell but is organized in large loops held by proteins in a region called the nucleoid. (b) Histones acquire a positive charge due to the abundance of acidic amino acid residues. (c) The core of a nucleosome is composed of eight molecules of histone proteins.

Step-by-step solution

Statement (a) is correct. In prokaryotes like E. coli , though they do not have a defined nucleus, the DNA is not scattered throughout the cell. It is held together with some proteins in a region termed as the nucleoid, organized in large loops. Statement (b) is incorrect. Histones are rich in the basic amino acid residues lysine and arginine, which carry positive charges in their side chains, not acidic amino acids. Statement (c) is correct. The nucleosome core is made up of eight histone molecules (two each of H2